A Tunnels and Trolls® play-by-post adventure run by khara_khang
No one calls Titania a Bogwart's behind, but a few people consider it. The knights double up and offer their horses to any delver without one. Within a few minutes, the group is riding off into the darkness again after Krandor gives the signal.
It's near dawn the next morning when your group heads up the rim into the Turquoise Valley. A shroud of fog obscures distance vision, but even in the morning light you can see row after row of the Khazan army standing in formation, motionless, stretching out almost a half mile in either direction. The morning is unusually silent. The sound of ravens picking at the dead can be heard, mixed with a few cries from the wounded. Smoke rolling in from the distance and the smell of death fills the valley, assaulting your nostrils with its stench.
Your group trots up and stops at a small black tent. Krandor's horse, staggers to one side, whinnies and then lies down trying to regain its footing but it can't. Its sides are covered with lather its energy and life force are spent. Both Krandor and Kahi are forced to dismount quickly before the horse catches them beneath it.
A few calmer moments later, the entire group dismounts (except the knights), and the Wizard Grutoss, High Commander of the forward Khazan army, exits the small tent. He is a tall lean human, dressed in flowing black robes trimmed with gold. His hair is stark white, long, and his features are sharp, his face holding an expression which is less than pleasing. Krandor approaches him and Grutoss rests his hand on the captain's shoulder as he surveys the group.
"Are these the delvers I've been waiting for, Krandor? We have plans to discuss."
What do you do?
Krandor helps Kahi from his horse. "You're bleeding, my friend." Krandor looks around for a page, grabs one, and sends him to get a healer, if one is available.
"These are the delvers, sire. They've all come willingly. How goes the battle? We met with a little resistance coming here so quickly. The monsters attacked, but then disappeared into a hole. I was afraid we'd be too late."
Felixia flutters over, "Delver? What's a delver?"
Demens replies to Felixia, "A delver is someone who goes on adventures into caves and such. But I have a feeling he uses 'delver' loosely because I think his mission will be greatly strategic."
Turning to Grutoss, he says, "Cenare! Ego non temerarius [I am not foolhardy]. That is why I want to know why your eyes glow funny. Do you have pupils in there? Did lightning hit you, or were you scared real bad to make your hair white? Well nice to meet you. I hope you're a lot nicer than you look. Well you're probably pretty nice if you let those 'slimy dudes' that we fought live. Like my shiny sword? I'm looking for a shiny shield with a something shiny on it to match. I probably should've asked that Toad guy for one. He did give me some chocolates. Here have one! I hope you like cherries 'cause they have li'l ones in em'. This is my horse. His name is 'Shiny Horse.' Thanks for giving him to me, or should I have thanked Krandor, or maybe Toady, or that other knight? Well in any case, I say thanks, although I have a feeling in a while we shall be riding to our death."
At this point if Grutoss hasn't knocked him out, he walks off talking to himself. "There could be Demons and Bears and Tigers and Lions and Imps and evil wannabe 6th editions, and Toads. TOADS!!! No not Toads!! Malus bufes [evil toads]!!! He rambles on to himself paying attention (sort of) to what others say; then he realizes that he has to be brave and save the world.
He then turns to Grutoss, "Grutoss, I am ready to fight the Toads."
Well, I could have put "Blah Blah Blah Blah," like I did with Amroth [c.f. Goblin Lake, Part Deux --ed.], but I figured I wouldn't.
Khara, even though eickeric is gone, can he still use "that magic stuff" on my arrows? Well, not he but his character.
Well, from a legal point of view, (sort of) if he's [Jack's] one of the "living skeletons" from Monsters! Monsters!®, then he's not an undead. He's basically a human with transparent skin and organs.
Well, does he have all that stuff invisible or is he a skeleton without that stuff?? And you can't really compare real life (well to a certain degree) to T&T RPG. Why not? Because in real life, there isn't the same type of Magicians, nor are there Vampires, "slimy dudes" that we just fought, and so forth.
Well, from a legal point of view, (sort of) if he's [Jack's] one of the "living skeletons" from Monsters! Monsters!®, then he's not an undead. He's basically a human with transparent skin and organs.
Just being facetious. I've played a Nehwonian ghoul myself before.
From a moral point of view however, he's a sentient, self aware being with opinions and feelings.
Okay, I'm with you here.
He's a party member.
But that doesn't exactly inspire me with confidence.
He might sae your life some day.
He might also decide to eat us.
Don't screw with.
You must've missed something. That's why I'm here!
And you can't really compare real life (well to a certain degree) to T&T RPG. Why not? Because in real life, there isn't the same type of Magicians, nor are there Vampires, "slimy dudes" that we just fought, and so forth.
Good point. We should have a debate about the rights of undead and slimy things sometime.
What do you do?
I give loud and vocal thanks to finally be off that horse.
[Blah Blah Blah Blah]
Jay wonders what the legal rights of the feebleminded are.
We should have a debate about the rights of undead and slimy things sometime.
Slimy things are people too!!! "If you prick us, do we not ooze?"
A few minutes after Krandor sends for a healer for Kahi, an older gentleman dressed in green blood-stained robes arrives and offers Kahi a potion. Like all magic, its effect takes place almost instantly the moment Kahi drinks it. His once horrible bleeding wound fades from his thigh and is gone, as is the pain, leaving only caked blood behind. After Kahi bids him thanks, the healer heads off into the fog with many more patients available.
"These are the delvers, sire.... I was afraid we'd be too late."
Grutoss flexes his fingers, his sharp features gazing at the group of adventures and then out toward the fog shrouded distant army in the valley. He sighs. "Hmmm, scouts mayhaps... no worry, Sir Krandor. Late is a matter of perspective. More are dead since you were here last, more will die unless our problem is solved---many, many more."
"Delver? What's a delver?"
Grutoss looks up at Felixia as if annoyed with her question. "That would be you, miss Fairy."
Grutoss listens to Demens but doesn't respond or even look in his direction. His eyes are still transfixed on the army in the distance. Pointing his finger towards the army he says, "You're going there, into hell itself. Many of you may not return. There is a castle out there, two actually. All these creatures are coming from them. Your job is to determine who, where, and why."
Taking a gold medallion from an invisible pocket in his black robe, Grutoss turns to Krandor and places it in his palm, closing Krandor's hand around it. The gold medallion has a Phoenix emblem on it and is attached to a silver chain. "Just press your thumb on it and say 'DEATH GODDESS' and your help will arrive. If you use it unwisely, such as to save your lives having not found the source of the magical creations, it will kill you outright---that, I promise." Grutoss's face shows a harsh glare as he speaks.
With a wave of Grutoss's hand, your entire group (without the knights and the horses) reappears in a fog-filled forest somewhere. It's very early in the morning, just 30 minutes before daylight. Any items on your horses are left behind and lost. The fog obscured forest is filled with stripped and mutilated bodies of the dead. You see many different creatures among the dead.
What do you do? Which direction do you go?
Demens unsheathes his sword. "Then let's find these castles and rid Khazan of its distress. Onward, chaps."
Jax looks around for any sign of the castles which Grutoss mentioned, but sees little in the fog. He approaches Felixia and Titania with a grunt and an idea. "Maybe one of you should poke your head above the treetops and fog to get a bearing on the castles for us."
"Hmmm....a bit of warning would have been nice." Brienna says, looking around. She tries to remember in which direction the Wizard pointed while he was yammering away, then looks at the horizon to see from which direction the sun rises. If she can figure out in which direction the Wizard pointed from that, it's the way she'll suggest going.
"I agree with Brienna and Jax. Presumably, he transported us directly here---no twisting of our direction from where we were, so whichever way he pointed relative to where we currently face should be the way to go."
"Nuts, and I was gonna ask what my sheild does," Kahi mutters as he suddenly finds himself lost in the woods. Still he does feel rather happy he knicked that sack from the dead horse and kept it with him.
"I'm not sure Jay, he could have teleported us past the castles because that was as close as he could come without us being noticed, or maybe to the left, or maybe to the right, or we might be right in between the two, or as you say in front of them. After all, if you could teleport us anywhere, wouldn't you want to teleport us as close to the enemy encampment as possible? Trudging forward doesn't seem like the brightest idea. It would be like walking blind into a maze that has a minotaur at the end of it. I think we should have the Fairies check it out. That is what they are best at after all."
Felixia smiles bravely. "I will!" she says to Jax, "I'll fly up and look and see what I can see and tell you when I see it!" she says, looking to the group for a moment. If there are no objections, she will fly up into the air.
"Make sure that you go up slowly, as to avoid any wild people with axes flying around, or anything flying around. Maybe we could dress you up like a bird. No, no, that wouldn't work. Well just make sure you go up slowly and alert."
Felixia nods. "Slow and alert, avoid axes and look like a bird. Okay, I got it," she says, smiling to Demens and waiting for anyone else to add something.
"Actually, Kahi, we Fairies are the best at a great many things," she says with a mischievous smile, and then turns to Felixia. "Want company up there? After all, two heads are better than one, and that way we can watch one another's backs."
"Sure, company," Felixia giggled. "Yeah, sounds good."
"Frak, so much for my old boots and our food. Lucky for me I ate before we left."
After the Fairies volunteer, Taran turns to his ever-stinking brother. "Yo, pig-breath," he says, knocking his brother in the shoulder. "Wasn't our old pal Lilac de Sprite able to turn herself invisible? These fairies," he continues, thumbing in Felixia and Titania's direction, "oughta be able ta do the same thing, eh? I mean, Fairies is Fairies, I figure <grunt>." Taran shrugs, thinking there's no better way to be secretive than to be invisible.
"Trudging forward doesn't seem like the brightest idea...."
"I didn't suggest trudging forward blindly. I simply pointed out that it's the most likely way we'd wind up reaching a castle. That doesn't make it the best route; there are two castles after all. That's why I also agreed with Jax's suggestion that the Fairies have a look around first. In addition to seeing which direction we face in relation to the castles, they can also look for whatever obstacles or hazards we may have in the way, such as enemy encampments, rivers or other poor terrain, etc. I had presumed this went without saying so explicitly. My error. I'll have to be more precise."
"Wasn't our old pal Lilac de Sprite able to turn herself invisible? These fairies oughta be able ta do the same thing, eh? I mean, Fairies is Fairies, I figure."
Jax raises his single brow at his brother's momentary lapse into logical thought. "Uh, you may be right, tusk-face. Better remind them."
<Begin OrcBrainCam™>
I wonder how ol' Lilac is doing? Heard she wanted to meet me at the BFT after my interdimensional lollygagging, but she never showed. Nope, stood up by a Fairy. Frak, no sun-dried lizards for this Orc, not even one of her Original Crispy Recipie SDLs with the Seven Special Herbs and Spices™. There goes the stomach complaining again. "Shaddup!"
<End OBC>
"Frak, why didn't I ask Toad for a bag o' lizards?" Jax mutters.
"Eroo?"
"Ah, nuthin'."
"Whoa! F#@in' spooky or what? I hope to hell that Grutoss has some kind of clause in our contract covering resurrection or whatever."
Thinking that he'll go easy on the bad guys, Jack leaves the Dagger of Time in its sheath and instead draws his rapier, taking a few practice swipes and cuts here and there.
"Feint, beat, beat, feint...(pregnant pause)...LUNGE!!!" He pricks Jax in the posterior just enough to irritate.
"Hehehe... getta load a me Orc-o! A regular Douglas Savingsbanks I are, huh? So when do you boys figure we're gonna see some action around here? Not looking forward to it at all. Hopin' them there Fairies'll take care of it before I have to dirty my fingernails with any fisticuffs."
As the two Fairies break the fog about mid-way up into the treetops, they are horrified by what they see. Thousands of flying creatures fill the treetops, apparently asleep, but not for long, as they slowly begin to stir with the morning light. They are about eight feet tall, lean, with golden skin, hairless, sexless, with large ears, wicked talons, shark-like teeth, and large brown bat-like wings.
Suddenly, a creature silently swoops out of the fog from above, snatches Demens off the ground and swoops back up into the treetops. As the creature lands in the tree, Demens spins in its arms and drives his sword hilt deep into its chest, eliciting a loud howl of pain from the creature. Being a devout Warrior, Demens doesn't fear death, but with death comes pain, and even the toughest Warrior feels pain. Looking around, he sees the treetops are filled with thousands of these creatures. Demens knows he will not escape death this day. Creatures, awakened from the death screams of their kin, descend on him from all directions like sharks.
The group hears Demens' screams of pain as the magical creations begin feeding on him. Above, dozens and dozens begin flocking toward Demens, trying to get some of the food. You can hear the beating of their wings as they move. Demens' screams send chills up your spines. Mixed in the screams of pain and the feeding creatures you hear his last words: "RUNNNN! GOOOO!"
With a painful expression and hardened eyes, he looks toward the sounds of the screams of pain even though he can't see Demens through the fog. The Captain heard the same cries of pain before, and knows that saving Demens is not an option. Demens is dead, and there is nothing he can do. "Come with me, NOW!" he shouts. "They usually only feed in the daylight and we have very little time before full daylight." Making sure everyone is with him, Krandor turns and races off into the fog.
Anyone not following Krandor, please make a note of it in your next post.
The forest looks all the same, but something guides Krandor as he runs, forcing limbs out of his path. His pace is steady but not so fast that everyone in the group can't keep up. The forest and fog part, revealing a flat stone rock face. Looking from right to left, Krandor heads left about 30 yards and finds a barred entrance into a sewer system. Anyone looking up sees nothing but a sheer rock face and fog obscuring whatever might be up there.
"We really need to get by these bars now!" Krandor's voice holds a sense of urgency as he looks at the group for help.
What do you do?
[Jack] pricks Jax in the posterior just enough to irritate. "Hehehe... getta load a me Orc-o! A regular Douglas Savingsbanks I are, huh? So when do you boys figure we're gonna see some action around here?"
The Orc's muscles knot with irritation and his jaw muscles work themselves into a frenzy at the skeleton's flippancy, but before he can react, Demens is snatched up into the air screaming, and they are running, following Krandor blindly through the fog, until they run smack-dab into a wall of sheer rock. Then there's the barred sewer entrance.
"We really need to get by these bars now!"
"Allow me," Jax shoulders his way to the grate. Recalling that his EverSharp™ blade once sliced through the shaft of a Gristlegrim Minotaur's bronze trident like it was a bun-length hot dog, he unsheathes his vorpal blade, draws it high overhead with both hands and brings it down in a powerful arc onto the bars.
When Felixia sees the creatures, she looks to Titania and shakes her head. Pointing down, she flies that way when she knows Titania will follow. Diving down, she flies towards Krandor, "Lotsa big... nasty... wings and claws and teeth... BIG TEETH" she says as she flies beside him. "Gotta go now!"
The knight nods to the tiny Fairy, noting the expression on her face. Demens' screams of pain continue, echoing in the distant fog-shrouded forest. The sound is horrifying and bone chilling. Krandor knows they will not just let Demens die easily. He has seen it before, many times, and they will make it long and painful before he reaches the bliss of death.
"Allow me."
Jax slices the bars like butter. A second slice and the bars fall away.
With the bars cut away, the group files into a dark dry sewer tunnel as the fog fades away and the morning sun shines. After ten minutes of walking and following several tunnels that dead end, your group eventually makes its way into a small room. You see a wooden door and stairs going up. The entire place is made from cut stone.
What do you do?
Cor'! That's twice now, Throst! You must be doin' something seriously wrong!
A second slice and the bars fall away.
"And I was gonna suggest we climb the walls, Oh well," Kahi says, putting away his rope and grapple, and following Krandor.
Oh well. I got kinda tired of saying "Cenare" and I was preparing to say "Die Herculean toads, feel my wrath!" but I fell short a few words. Only question now is if he'll go up with Amroth, well unless Amroth is down there. HEH-HEH.
Just for the record, for the benefit of those in metagaming positions, Jack's narrator would like to let it be expressly known that Jack was in fact following Krandor and not out being eaten by bird things.
"Whoa, baby! That Demens guy just got trussed up like a turkey dinner, or at least a dinner for turkeys. I sure as hell hope you've got something up your sleeve Krando-matic or we're gonna end up not much better off. I'd volunteer to go back and find his remains but, hehehe... I'm allergic to birds..."
Felixia flutters close to Krandor looking around, "Wow, this could be really bad. We should keep going. I think we should go," she says looking around some.
Knowing Amroth, I'd say he's down there but there's no real way of figuring out until I get out of this adventure and go back down to see if there are any demon rears the need a butt-kicking for righteousness and all around good things. Perhaps I shall avenge Demens by placing my bootprint on the next bird thing with "sharp, nasty...Look at the BONES!!!!" that I meet. But it's more likely I hit them with the flail of many heads "Ouch ohhhhh...wrong head." Are you gonna put someone new in the adventure or are you just droppin' out for good?
Looking in horror at the canopy, Titania looks at Felixia with wide eyes, grips her kris tightly and follows her fellow Fairy back to the group.
Flying quickly to keep up with Krandor, Titania adds to Felixia's description, "They're evil. I can feel it. You know more than you're telling us, don't you?"
Later, in the small room at the end of the sewers, she says, "Anyone have a suggestion as to a quiet way to enter here?"
So is the verdict that Fairies can turn invisible? If so, Titania chooses to do so now.
Knowing Amroth, I'd say he's down there....
Heh, actually I'm trying to decide that right now. I don't think so; he probably got thrown out 'cause the gods would really have to turn up the heat if he were in there.
Brienna moves towards the front of the group, her dagger lighting up like a torch with but a whisper. She stays behind Krandor and to his left, her axe held loosely in her free hand. When we get to the stairs and door she calmly says, "Well? We either go forward or go back. I don't think the latter is the safest of choices right now."
Focus on stairwell. Pan to wooden door. Look down at Brienna. Grunt affirmation. Decision time. Sound of scalp scratching, strangely amplified by hollow skull. Need more info....
Jax opens the door to see what is behind it.
Taran stops his brother's meaty hand from touching the door before he has a chance to grip it. "Whoa, slice boy," he says, referring to his brother's penchant for utilizing his vorpal blade on anything that moves---and some things that don't, "we got us some Wizards with us. How 'bout we let 'em check for traps or something?" He explains further, "If we're supposed to be finding the source of all evil, you don't think they'd just put up some bars and a flimsy door to ward us delvers away, eh?"
Jax thinks to himself, "Hmm, if the world were a role-playing game, my brother must have made a level three saving roll on INT to think up that scheme. Fascinating!"
"I hope to hell that Grutoss has some kind of clause in our contract covering resurrection or whatever."
"We'll probably find out soon enough---and for the record, resurrection sounds a lot more appealing than reincarnation or whatever, if it comes to that. But I don't think we should count on either of them."
Being a devout Warrior, Demens doesn't fear death, but with death comes pain, and even the toughest Warrior feels pain.
Unless he's got one of those weird nerve afflictions.
Looking around, he sees the treetops are filled with thousands of these creatures. Demens knows he will not escape death this day.
Dang, that's harsh.
...you hear his last words: "RUNNNN! GOOOO!"
How could I possibly turn down a dying man's last request? ;)
Oh well. I got kinda tired of saying "Cenare" and I was preparing to say "Die Herculean toads, feel my wrath!" but I fell short a few words.
Hey, you got off easy. If they really were Herculean toads, it wouldn't have been nearly as pleasant.
Demens is dead, and there is nothing he can do. "Come with me, NOW!" he shouts. "They usually only feed in the daylight and we have very little time before full daylight." Making sure everyone is with him, Krandor turns and races off into the fog.
I'll follow, but we need to have words later.
The forest looks all the same, but something guides Krandor as he runs, forcing limbs out of his path.
Mm-hmmm.
Flying quickly to keep up with Krandor, Titania adds... "You know more than you're telling us, don't you?"
"My thoughts exactly."
Demens' screams of pain continue, echoing in the distant fog-shrouded forest. The sound is horrifying and bone chilling. Krandor knows they will not just let Demens die easily. He has seen it before, many times, and they will make it long and painful before he reaches the bliss of death.
If I had known that, I would've tried a TTYF mercy-kill on him before I left. (But I didn't know. Sorry, Demens.)
"Allow me." Jax slices the bars like butter. A second slice and the bars fall away.
"Interesting...."
"we got us some Wizards with us. How 'bout we let 'em check for traps or something? If we're supposed to be finding the source of all evil, you don't think they'd just put up some bars and a flimsy door to ward us delvers away, eh?"
"Captain Krandor, you obviously knew where you were heading---you came straight here and the foliage moved to let you pass through. You're the only one who has knowledge of the things that killed Demens. He might still be alive if we had known to immediately follow you instead of dickering around discussing directions and sending the Fairies to scout. I'm not blaming you for his death, but you do hold responsibility for it as team leader. So before we go any further, you need to tell us where we are, and what we can expect. Like Titania, I think you're withholding information from us for whatever reasons you might have.
"Well, we're here now; leaving isn't a valid option. And if you die, run off, or get separated from us, that knowledge is lost and the mission is jeopardized. So where are we now, what are we doing, and give a specific reason why? Until we know, we can't trust you, and without proper trust, we will either take initiative actions contrary to what might be the best course of events (such as fighting when fleeing is called for), or we will hesitate when you do ask us to do something time sensitive or when you absolutely cannot explain something at the time. That's on a professional note.
"On a personal note, I'm troubled. I don't like leaving teammates behind to die. Not only does it weaken the group, we can't achieve any real cohesion if everyone knows we'll abandon them at the first sign of trouble. From this point on, I do not intend to drop anyone. If someone falls, I'm staying with them unless I know they're dead. Keep that in mind when you're planning strategy."
If Jax hasn't yet opened the door, I'll scan the room and area with Detect Magic.
Felixia flutters around some, trying to see if she can sense any problems.
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