Session 04 - Continued Exploration

From the Desk of Kamist Tirgan
Session 4
Continued Exploration of the Whispering Cairn

5th of Marpenoth, 1371 DR
After a brief discussion, we took a vote and decided to take the lift under the yellow lantern and explore whatever lay below. Since only two of us could fit inside at once, it took quite a bit of time for us all to get down there only to discover a massive stone block sittin’ on top of a pressure plate. Apparently, all the ups and downs pissed off an Air Elemental livin’ in the shaft of the lift because the thing swooped out of the lift and attacked us. By some fluke, Sparrow actually was able to converse with the thing!

Turns out that the Air Elemental “drives” the lift and it was worried that us playin’ with the mechanism (thanks Storn) would break the thing. The Elemental also told Sparrow that we were lucky “he” wasn’t a guardian else he’d have killed us all.

That’s a load off my mind.

It occurred to me that with all these interestin’ (and historical?) call carvins, that maybe Allustan would like to see ‘em. So, I started taking rubbins of the carvins. Glad I brought that paper with me. Speakin’ of historical, I got to remember to get that information Sparrow picked up about Jasper. I wanna read it for myself. Try to get some more insight into the man.

While we were tryin’ to climb over the stone block to the hall beyond, we got attacked by…I dunno…it looked like a couple of big eyes connected by some kind of skin or tendon. It could fly and fired beams outta its eyes, that’s all I know. I never did get over the block before Storn and Valcrist killed it, so I never saw all that, but that’s what everyone else said it did. Regardless, the thing was disgustin’.

So, we pretty much all assumed that the stone block fell from the ceilin’ as a result of the pressure plate being triggered and decided to push the block over to see what got squashed underneath it. Turned out, that was the trap! As the block tipped over, the pressure plate clicked into place and the whole hallway filled with poisonous gas! All of us (except for Trogdor) manage to gulp down a breath of fresh air before the gas got to us. Then, for no apparent reason, the Air Elemental came back down and blew all the gas away before flying back up the lift shaft.

At the end of the hall was a room with an “H”-shaped column. On the right was a mass of brown gunk similar to where the beetles were livin’ on the green side. Only this gunk had no beetles and it appeared to be slowly flowin’ across to another room. Dolgun went to freeze the gunk in place with his newly acquired ice breath and was in turn chilled to the bone somehow! His icy breath, however, did affect the gunk, causing it to contract and shrink to half its size. Another couple of icy breaths and the mass of Brown Mold (that’s what Carenthal called it) was completely gone.

Then, inexplicably, Sparrow goes back down the hall to have some howlin’ conversation with the Air Elemental. On the way to the lift, she just walked right over the pressure plate again, fillin’ the hall with more poisonous gas! I swear, if it weren’t for Carenthal tendin’ to her she’d have been dead.

I am having second thoughts about putting’ her in charge of Intelligence since she seems to be lackin’ that particular virtue.

On the left side of the column, Valcrist reset a trap that allowed us to retrieve several magic items includin’ a Wand of Unseen Servant that the group gave to me to use. Yet another use for the same force my Magic Missiles are made out of! Carenthal can make armor out of it and this want can make insubstantial servants! I wonder what else I can mold this force into…

Inside the right-side room, we found some interesting bas relief (more rubbings) and another one of those “air beds.” Sparrow discovered somethin’ interestin’ about this bed, however. Right when you come up to it, you get overwhelmed by a tired, fatigued feelin’. After just five minutes sleepin’ on the bed though, you wake up feelin’ completely rested – like you had a full night’s sleep!

While we were searchin’ the room and Sparrow was searchin’, Hine decided to wander off on his own. Storn saw him walk away and followed him into the room on the left of the hall. They found a room with a pedestal of unknown (but magical metal) with a large, black, stone egg sittin’ on top of it. From what Storn told me later, Hine just walked right up and started tappin’ the egg. The egg came to life, turnin’ into some sorta Earth Elemental! Then, accordin’ to Storn, Hine screamed like a little girl and ran outta the room leavin’ Storn to take a beatin’.

After Storn escaped and got healed by Trogdor’s Wand of Healing, we regrouped to figure out what to do about the egg (and the pedestal which Storn had taken an almost fanatical attraction to). Dolgun managed to have a short conversation with the egg. Somethin’ about “settin’ it free,” but then Dolgun must have mispronounced a word or somethin’, because the egg came to life again and attacked!

I was ready for this, though, and immediately blasted it with a pair of Magic Missiles. Although Eldron hit the thing really hard with his big axe, it was a crossbow bolt from Valcrist that destroyed it. Not before it could wallop Storn once, however.

More charges off the wand of healin’.

Behind the center door we found another privy, just like on the green side. Sparrow apparently had been holdin’ breakfast I for too long and decided it had to come out…now! Down go her britches, closed goes the door. I don’t know if she realized she did that in the wrong order or not. Two minutes later, the door flies open. Sparrow, britches down around her ankles, nether regions in full view of all, staggers out of the privy screamin’. Just before she could slam the door closed, we saw another swarm of beetles boilin’ up out of privy itself!

I laughed so hard, I nearly passed out.

So we got back into the lantern room to find a group of Nergel’s bandits comin’ in from outside! Led by a dangerous-lookin’ guy named Mozar, they started with a cursory attempt at diplomacy. It was immediately apparent that they were only interested in extortion or robbin’ us.

A fight ensued.

This was the toughest fight our group has faced to date, and we pulled together in an excellent fashion! Mozar looked to be the biggest threat (even though there were nine other guys with him) because he had drawn a scimitar and short sword and looked like he knew how to use ‘em. Hine shot him with an arrow and I ripped into him with a pair of Magic Missiles forcin’ him to use one of his healing potions to keep on his feet. That didn’t save him long. Another arrow from Hine, one from Sparrow and another volley of Magic Missiles from me killed him. Of course that didn’t stop his men from tryin’ to kill us.

The rest of his men (four warriors, 3 archers, and a couple of rogue types) did their best to get revenge. Storn charged into the archers (after dispatchin’ one of the warriors), limitin’ their ranged attacks. Dolgun and his breath weapons kept four of ‘em pinned down and burnin’. In the end, I think all of us chalked up a kill and only one of the bandits were left alive.

We tied the guy up and headed back Diamond Lake. We were beat up pretty badly and I felt like I was about to collapse. There was no way I could create even one more Magic Missile. Of course, I don’t think we’re gonna get time to rest just yet. We need to come back to the cairn with a wagon and pick up all these bodies if we expect to collect the bounties on them.