A Tunnels and Trolls® play-by-post adventure run by khara_khang
"Well, I guess the news of your death was greatly exaggerated, winged one," says Krandor, "Thanks for the save!"
Felixia gasps and flies after the big Dragon who has Blodwydd, "Hey! Whatcha doin'? Where ya goin'?" she asks, "Bring her back, I'm supposed to be helpin'!"
Blodwydd yelps as she is jerked upwards in a powerful grasp, keeping hold of her sword only by main instinct. As Shindorillimum descends toward the hillside, Blodwydd drops her blade and then wiggles loose herself, dropping the last few feet to the ground and scrambling out of the way as the giant Dragon settles to earth. Retrieving her blade from where it landed in the scrub, she eyes the great Wyrm, a grudging respect now mixed in her eyes with the wariness with which she has so far regarded it.
"Thanx!" she finally mutters, "I owya wun...."
Stark stands panting for breath at the entrance to Goblin Lake. He glances up at the others, and sees Shipy grinning broadly on the back of Chereva, his running legs having not been taxed.
"By the gods! That was a run," pants the Wizard as he sits down heavily on the hillside.
Then Stark sees the brightly scaled Dragon swooping through the valley below, and grasps feebly for a spell to aid him, but fails before the sight of the winged Wyrm.
He soon realizes the others know the Dragon, Shindorillimum, and he feels greatly releived. He watches as the Dragon approaches. Often, Master Formond used to mention his dealings with Dragons, but Stark had not believed it.
Sincerest apologies for not posting sooner. This weeks been particularly bad, and my free time has been terribly compressed. The lack of posts does not result from a lack of interest, I assure you.
Now as for Jamara, if she's still in the game she'll go along with Chevera, keeping between the Goblin and the enemy as much as possible, warhammer firmly in hand. She's obviously very uncomfortable about leaving our guys in the lurch, but it was their choice to go running off and her responsibility is to guard the Gobby. The wizard she'll keep watch on from the corner of her eye, if possible. There's too many strangers claiming to be allies all of a sudden....
With expressionless eyes, Jamara watches the Dragon land and drop Blodwydd. "Still grabbing people, I see. At least you have better reason this time. Weren't you dead?"
"Well chap my hide!!" Chereva exclaims, only slightly taxed from their hurried climb, as they watch the majestic Wyrm catch an updraft toward their location. "Shipy," she twists around exquisitely to face the Hobbit on her back, "isn't it an old saying out of Hobbiton, 'Never laugh at live Dragons'? I think one could now say the same about 'dead' ones too." She smiles.
As Shindorillimum alights effortlessly nearby, and they are presently reunited with Krandor and Felixia, Chereva whinnies happily, seeing everyone safe and in one piece, though the Wolf looks a bit singed. "We should all stick together, folks. I don't know what happened down there, but our lucky Dragon may not be there next time."
She trots a pace toward the rainbow-hued Dragon. "Our sincerest gratitude, Great One. Tell Cobalt it would have been much easier to get rid his problem citizens while we were still in Khazan than to send a bunch of goons to do us in out here," she winks enticingly. Then she turns to face the rest of the group (save her two passengers), "Let's bust a move, people. We've a royal wedding to attend."
"Keehee, she said 'bust'!" he snickers, elbowing Freaketa behind him, and instantly regretting it.
You will need a marching order. Either you can post your order or I will. If you wish to assign your own order do so in your next post.
Felixia gasps and flies after the big Dragon who has Blodwydd, "Hey! Whatcha doin'? Where ya goin'?" she asks, "Bring her back, I'm supposed to be helpin'!"
"You can have her if you can carry her," offers the Dragon in a stone-breaking voice, eyeing the pursuing Fairy.
Shindorillimum's great wings stir a whirlwind of debris as he lands. Releasing Blodwydd, who scrambles out of the way, as he settles to earth, he folds his wings to his back. Shindorillimum looks penetratingly, like a scolding father figure, at everyone gathered together.
"Maybe this time, you should stick together and try working as a team. It might just enhance your chances of staying alive."
"Well, I guess the news of your death was greatly exaggerated, winged one," says Krandor, "Thanks for the save!"
"Yes, so I have been often told. You have unique abilities Krandor. You should use them where they are needed most."
Retrieving her blade from where it landed in the scrub, she eyes the great Wyrm, a grudging respect now mixed in her eyes with the wariness with which she has so far regarded it.
"Thanx!" she finally mutters, "I owya wun...."
"I will not be around next time to offer my help when you spontaneously go off alone. Your personal danger is not over just yet."
"By the gods! That was a run," pants the Wizard as he sits down heavily on the hillside.
Then Stark sees the brightly scaled Dragon swooping through the valley below, and grasps feebly for a spell to aid him, but fails before the sight of the winged Wyrm.
Shindorillimum leans in close and sniffs Stark, causing the Wizard to backtrack a few steps. Shindorillimum's eyes focus on Stark's momentarily. Jamara speaks, interrupting the Dragon's wizardly focus:
With expressionless eyes, Jamara watches the Dragon land and drop Blodwydd. "Still grabbing people, I see. At least you have better reason this time. Weren't you dead?"
Shindorillimum smiles, revealing row upon row of long white sharp teeth. "Well I do know better than to grab you." Shindorillimum mockingly raises his clawed hand/foot. "I was not dead, I just appeared dead for your benefit."
"Well chap my hide!!" Chereva exclaims, only slightly taxed from their hurried climb....
She trots a pace toward the rainbow-hued Dragon. "Our sincerest gratitude, Great One. Tell Cobalt it would have been much easier to get rid his problem citizens while we were still in Khazan than to send a bunch of goons to do us in out here," she winks enticingly. "Let's bust a move, people. We've a royal wedding to attend."
Shindorillimum lifts an eyebrow and nods at Chereva. Turning away from the forest Dragon, your group heads on up the hillside a short distance. The entrance to Goblin Lake itself is nothing more than a darkened cleft in the side of the hillside. Inside, you find a dark tunnel sloping down into the bowels of the earth. The tunnel itself is about seven feet wide and about eleven feet high with rough hewn walls. The members who can see in the dark have no trouble. The members who cannot see in the dark stumble along blind. Krandor stops after a few minutes as the roughly shaped tunnel changes into three choices (see map): right, left, or straight on.
What do you do?
"Why does everything have to be so dark and dreary? Why can't it be bright and cheery? Keehee... I made a rhyme." Noticing Freaketa not smiling and fuming anger, I hush up as only a Hobbit can.
Trying to be as silent as possible, Krandor glances back over his shoulder before darting off to the right, keeping his ears open to keep track of the others.
Felixia decides to try to find a safe pocket in which to ride instead of flying into walls. "Could I possibly find a place to sit instead of smacking into walls repeatedly?"
Stark looks at each member of the party and says, "I realize that I just happened upon your party, and I do not know what your quest is. It may be foolhardy of me to journey further with you, but I came in search of Goblin Lake looking for adventure, and, though I may not live through it, I seem to have found it. I will attempt to earn your group's trust, and will aid your cause in any way that I can."
Stark attempts to enchant a nearby wooden stick or quarterstaff into a makeshift staff.
Stark attempts to weasel his way into the middle or rear of the group, and casts Will-o-wisp, if no additional light source is already present, or if danger appears.
"We need a light." Jamara says, peering into the gloom. "We cannot fight well if we can not see. Whoever sees best, she should take the lead. The Goblin and the finger waggler should be in the middle, I think. The Goblin be safer, and the finger waggler not be at our backs." There's no malice in Jamara's voice as she speaks, but rather frank and blunt honesty. "He want to help, OK. But trust, that be earned."
Jamara glances at the little winged girl curiously. "Maybay the horse girl let you ride too, but maybay the two on her now squish you if you do. You can go with me, if you not pull hair."
"Hey Jamara!" I wave my finger at her. "I'm not a finger waggler." Noticing my finger waving, I put it down. "Come here, little Felixia, and give the Hobbit a smooch." I giggle with laughter.
Felixia's brow rises some as she answers Shipy, "I heard that kissing Hobbits could give you worts... or was that toads?" she says, giggling some. "Either way I don't think I want to find out the hard way, so I think I'll take the ride offered by Jamara," she says, fluttering over to her. "I won't pull your hair. Thank you for letting me ride."
Marching order is: Krandor, Jamara (with Felixia on Jamara's shoulder), Chereva (with Freaketa and Shipy riding), Stark, and Blodwydd last. I am assuming Stark already has a makeshift staff, since you had plenty of time to obtain one before entering.
Blodwydd removes a torch from her pack [sic] and lights it. Once everyone can see, the entire group turns right and follows Krandor.
"I give one Sprite warts and I'm forever labeled a wart giver! How does that seem fair?" The Hobbit pouts.
With a light source, the group continues about seventy feet before the rough hewn corridor opens up into an oddly shaped 30 by 40 foot room. The room is empty save for a lit lantern hanging from a hook on the north wall. Two other corridors exit this room.
"We were told by Cobalt to stay in the main tunnel and follow it. Where the frell is Krandor leading us?" The Goblin princess was less than happy.
From the northernmost corridor, nine undead guards come charging out towards you. Each brandishes some type of weapon. Everyone gets one action as the undead guards charge in to attack. One action means: 1 attack, cast 1 spell, use 1 missile weapon, or do something else (like run away). It is assumed all weapons are already drawn and ready.
Growling slightly, Krandor crouches down and then snarls to those behind him: "You weren't supposed to follow me! Back up, NOW!!!" He then snaps at the nearest skeleton.
"Well met again, Stark," she responds to the Wizard's self-introduction, "We're here to deliver Princess Freaketa to the Goblin King. They're to be wed, if he doesn't kill her first for losing her necklace. If you want to help, we'll probably need some light underground, if you can make some. I doubt the Goblins light their own tunnels."
Chereva turns back to Freaketa, "And don't you worry, Your Highness, we'll straighten out any beef ol' Snorkins has with you regarding jewelry."
Chereva falls in behind Jamara as they enter the tunnel, unlit as suspected, but Blodwydd beats Stark to the punch with her torch. Krandor takes the lead, and Chereva's glad for it, since she knows the Wolf has natural tracking skills and infravision, whereas the lusty Centaur only has drinking skills and normal vision. The close quarters of the tunnels make her uncharacteristically nervous and reticent.
"We were told by Cobalt to stay in the main tunnel and follow it. Where the frell is Krandor leading us?"
"Cobalt didn't tell us that, sheesh. Secrets, secrets. Let's go bac---"
From the northernmost corridor, nine undead guards come charging out towards you.
"You weren't supposed to follow me! Back up, NOW!!!"
"Some-body didn't list-en to Shin-do!" she sings. There's nothing Chereva enjoys more than a good fight, but she can't afford to endanger her charges. She turns about and gallops out of the room toward the main corridor.
Jamara backs up slowly, hammer at the ready as she guards the others' retreat. "We be invited, boneheads! The king of the Goblins waits for us! Delay us, it not matter much. You not delay us for long! Back away, or be bashed away!"
Standing behind the others, and being uncommonly tall, Stark sees the peril, and opens a door in his soul, releasing a bolt of searing mental energy into the unholy beast nearest to Krandor.
"And there are two more where that came from!" He thinks madly.
Pulling a note from my pocket, I scan it briefly. When Chereva turns about and gallops out of the room toward the main corridor, it falls from my hand and is lost in the darkness. I frown but hold on tightly. "Better the note than me," I think to myself as only a Hobbit can.
Contents of scribbled note:
"Green Eggs and Hamlet"
Would you kill him in his bed? Thrust a dagger through his pointy head? I would not, could not, kill the Hobbit_King. I could not do that evil thing to Shippy1 nor Shipy2. I would not wed his luv, you see. I would not, could not give her warts, and I bet your glad I kept this short[s]!
[Superscripts refer to the concurrent adventures in which Shipy appears (see the Oblique Streams archive). --ed.]
Blodwydd removes a torch from her pack and lights it.
Blodwydd hasn't had a pack since her recent involuntary bath. She probably found the torch in Chereva's saddlebags (is there anything you can't find in there? Oooo, what's this ne---oh. Never mind.)
As the Centaur thunders past her carrying the Hobbit and the princess and the others fall back, Blodwydd forms up alongside Jamara, ready to greet any pursuing fiends with a sharp swordthrust.
Being uncommonly tall herself, she winces as a bolt of mystical energy narrowly misses the side of her head on its way to spearing a guard. She briefly looks back to favor Stark with the special grimace she reserves for fumble-fingered would-be Wizards who complicate the lives of honest, hard-working fighting folk.
Felixia turns, "We runnin? I think we're runnin," she chatters looking at Chereva running back and pouting some at the advancing baddies. "They're gonna follow... need a distraction... need a... a...." A smile pops on her face and she chirps, "Cloud o' Dust!" Focusing, she casts Cloud o' Dust between the baddies and her friends that are closer to the baddies.
Mystic was 11; spell cost 4; now at 7 currently.
Let's assume Blodwydd accepted her torch from Shipy, who removed one from his pack. Blodwydd lit it using Shipy's flint and steel, which she returned when done.
"You weren't supposed to follow me! Back up, NOW!!!" He then snaps at the nearest skeleton.
Krandor moves out into room (the only way he can snap at a skeleton). Krandor delivers damage to one of his opponents, but is in turn attacked by several undead guards and takes 5 hits from a sword blow. Yelping in pain, he speeds out of the room following Chereva, who has already turned about and is galloping toward the main corridor (with Freaketa and Shipy on her back).
As the Centaur thunders past her carrying the Hobbit and the princess and the others fall back, Blodwydd forms up alongside Jamara, ready to greet any pursuing fiends with a sharp swordthrust.
Stark sees the peril, and opens a door in his soul, releasing a bolt of searing mental energy into the unholy beast nearest to Krandor.
The undead creature whom Stark targets explodes into pieces.
The undead guard (with the dragon emblem on his tattered shirt) points his sword, which begins glowing, at Jamara. Before anything else can happen, Felixia says:
"They're gonna follow... need a distraction... need a... a...." A smile pops on her face and she chirps, "Cloud o' Dust!"
A ten-foot wide cloud of dust suddenly appears out of nowhere and obscures everything between the undead guards, Blodwydd and Jamara.
This small amount of delay gives Blodwydd and Jamara time to fall back, taking everyone with them back up the rough corridor. The choice of retreating, or facing by themselves 8 remaining undead guards, some with magic weapons, is an easy choice.
You are now all back together in the main corridor, in original marching order.
"You people really need to get your act together before one of you get me killed by your incompetence."
"You can always get off and walk!"
Pouting, Freaketa doesn't answer Shipy. The main corridor continues for about a mile before ending in a 50 by 50 foot room filled with greenish water. The main corridor can be seen on the other side of the water. Two other tunnels exit the room on the right and left walls. Krandor's wound 20 minutes later is still bleeding (lose 2 more hits).
What do you do?
Krandor limps slowly behind the rest of the group, eyeing Freaketa suspiciously. "If you knew the correct way to go, why didn't you inform the rest of us?" he growls. Krandor's eyes, normally a crystal blue, change into a dramatic blood red as he says, "I say we just leave her here to rot. Apparently, she knows the way herself." A moment later, his eyes return to normal.
Falling to a heap on the ground, Krandor begins to lick his wound to close it.
Jamara shakes her head. "She reason we here. We hired to escort her. And you could have asked before sticking your nose in tunnel. But you both right about one thing. We need to know where we going." Jamara stops and looks up at Freaketa. "What you know of this place? Tell us what the finger waggler that sent us here told you."
At the apparent liquid impasse, the party stops and Krandor attends to his wounds. Chereva approaches him, reaches down slowly and touches his spine. Her Centaurian healing magic diffuses throughout his body. "Let's stick together this time, eh Krandor?" she winks cheerfully, wincing as an afterthought as half her strength is drained with the spell.
Turning her (very) human torso around toward Freaketa, she seconds Jamara's query. "Yes, Princess, please tell us what Cobalt told you. And that goes for you too, Felixia and Krandor, as I understand that Cobalt sent you as well. The secrets we keep from each other may only serve to divide us or harm us in the end. And we've already seen, twice now, the consequences of separation." These last words she says looking around the group.
Chereva's long equine lashes frame large rust-colored eyes whose piercing gaze finally lands to rest on Shipy. "The night before Shindorillimum staged his death, he told Shipy and me some things that you all deserve to know. Outside, this knowledge may have killed you, so we delayed the telling. As you may have surmised with the Great One's twice-timely assistance, this is not just one of Cobalt's petty criminal redemptory missions."
The Centaur awaits Freaketa's response.
Stark listens intently to the conversations as he scans the room. Uttering quietly, he produces a light on the tip of his quarterstaff, and approaches the water.
Standing near the edge of the green pool, he pokes the glowing end of the staff into the water, attempting to determine its depth while watching for any movement within.
Without warning, Krandor jumps from his place on the ground toward Stark. Sinking his teeth into Stark's ankle, he pulls him away from the green water with startling ferocity.
"If you knew the correct way to go, why didn't you inform the rest of us? I say we just leave her here to rot. Apparently, she knows the way herself."
Falling to a heap on the ground, Krandor begins to lick his wound to close it.
Krandor's actions do little good, as the wound continues to bleed.
"I don't remember you ever asking me, mutt!" chimes the princess. "Don't blame me for your lack of delving training."
"She reason we here. We hired to escort her. And you could have asked before sticking your nose in tunnel. But you both right about one thing. We need to know where we going. What you know of this place? Tell us what the finger waggler that sent us here told you."
Chereva approaches Krandor, reaches down slowly and touches his spine. Her Centaurian healing magic diffuses throughout his body.
"Yes, Princess, please tell us what Cobalt told you. And that goes for you too, Felixia and Krandor, as I understand that Cobalt sent you as well."
Krandor's wound heal over and disappear in seconds. His lagging strength magically returns.
"Cobalt told me that when we enter the tunnels, we should stay to the main tunnel and when we meet the green water we were to uhmm," she pauses to think, "oh right, now I remember. We were to give the water creature an offering and then we can cross unmolested. Once we cross, we follow the main tunnel until it ends at the lake. There someone will take us to King Snorkin. I think he is a vizier to the King. I know he's not Goblin."
"I was sent to protect the necklace, not the princess. Some things are so magical they are not very hard to protect, you know. They have their own aura," says Felixia, fluttering her wings, standing on Jamara's shoulder. Felixia winks at Chereva, smiling happily.
Standing, Krandor paces around Chereva (avoiding her hooves) "Like the Fairy, my orders are much the same."
Standing near the edge of the green pool, he pokes the glowing end of the staff into the water, attempting to determine its depth while watching for any movement within.
The water is at least three feet deep near the edge. But before Stark can finish his inspection, something happens.
Without warning, Krandor jumps from his place on the ground toward Stark. Sinking his teeth into Stark's ankle, he pulls him away from the green water with startling ferocity.
Something large in the water very near where Stark stood suddenly causes the water to churn and bubble. Krandor releases Stark's ankle once he is away from the water. Fighting over space on Chereva's back, Shipy and Freaketa start pushing each other, causing both of them and Chereva's saddle bags to tumble off to the ground with a thud. Trying to separate the two, Krandor moves in between them.
What do you do?
As Krandor leaps forward and latches on to Stark's ankle, Blodwydd lunges after him, shouting "Hey, stoppat!"By the time she has caught up, Krandor has released Stark, and all three notice the bubbling water where his staff was immersed. "Woah!" remarks Blodwydd unslinging her sword. "Sumthin biggin there.... Wattcher shootin this time," she adds with a sidewise glance at Stark, as she prepares to confront whatever might emerge from the depths of the green water.
Felixia's eyes widen some. "I do believe this may be what we make the offering to, unless we were supposed to put it in the water first," she says looking to Freaketa. "Do we have an offering?"
"Necklace gone!" Jamara says as she raises her hammer, calmly watching the water. "Goblin girl lose it after Dragon landed. We didn't get a chance to look for it!"
The Wizard winces in pain as he's yanked backward by the Wolf's jaws. He soon sees the bubbles forming on the water, and says, "Well, I've gone and done it this time. I seem to have forgotten the old expression 'Look before you leap.'"
With that, Stark moves further from the water.
Jumping between Freaketa and Shipy, Krandor growls, and then jumps back away, heading toward the water again.
"It's coming closer. We should be prepared. Maybe if we give it something, it'll transport us across the water."
"Hey, calm down kiddos!" Chereva admonishes her former riders, keeping a close eye on her saddlebags. She kneels way down and picks up her bags as the others look toward the bubbling water. "And to think these were brand new last week!" she laments with a sad shake of her flowing mane. She casually slips her hand inside one bag in particular as she places it on her back, just to confirm that it still contains a certain item.
"Thank you Freaketa," she offers the Goblin princess as they both stand, "for the tip from Cobalt. When things settle down, I'll tell you what Shindorillimum had to say." She winks at Shipy and helps dust off the Goblin if she will allow it. "Now let's be good demi-humans and see what all the fuss is about, eh?"
"Do we have an offering?"
"Maybe if we give it something, it'll transport us across the water."
She rejoins the onlookers at the water's edge. "Well, why don't we just ask it when it appears?"
"I have offering for it," Jamara says coldly as she watches the water churn. "I offer to bash it's head if it not be nice! This job grow into bigger and bigger pile of fewmets!"
Felixia watches the bubbling water and wonders exactly how big the thing is. "That is a lotta bubbles for something small...."
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