3rd of Marpenoth, 1371 DR
This morning I set a clever trap for that thievin’ whore, Noraa. I put my Arcane Mark on the onyx I got outta the Lizardfolk den near the lake. Then I arranged to have the gem “accidentally” fall out of my pack where I knew Noraa would find it. When I went back later and found the gems missin’, I knew she’d fallen for it. So, I asked the whole company if anyone had seen the gem I dropped. I even make sure to make eye-contact with Noraa when I asked. She said nothin’. One Detect Magic later and we discovered the gem in Noraa’s pouch. Even when caught red-handed, Noraa lied, claimin’ she hadn’t heard me mention the gem. The lyin’ bitch.
Jasper caught someone lurkin’ around the compound. It turned out to be a friend of Dolgun’s. A Tiefling archer named Hine with glowing eyes.
Creepy.
This morning I set a clever trap for that thievin’ whore, Noraa. I put my Arcane Mark on the onyx I got outta the Lizardfolk den near the lake. Then I arranged to have the gem “accidentally” fall out of my pack where I knew Noraa would find it. When I went back later and found the gems missin’, I knew she’d fallen for it. So, I asked the whole company if anyone had seen the gem I dropped. I even make sure to make eye-contact with Noraa when I asked. She said nothin’. One Detect Magic later and we discovered the gem in Noraa’s pouch. Even when caught red-handed, Noraa lied, claimin’ she hadn’t heard me mention the gem. The lyin’ bitch.
Jasper caught someone lurkin’ around the compound. It turned out to be a friend of Dolgun’s. A Tiefling archer named Hine with glowing eyes.
Creepy.
Moradin's Day of Honor
Apparently today is some Dwarven holiday. And apparently, the way Dwarves celebrate Moradin’s birthday (or whatever this holiday’s all about) is to get drunk. I mean really drunk. First thing in the morning’! Next thing I know, Eldron has picked me up and is spinnin’ me over his head, tellin’ me he wasn’t gonna stop till I had a drink.
It’s not that I don’t drink. I just don’t start getting’ drunk first thing in the mornin’.
When Igor (that slow, Damaran kid who was gonna take us to the Whisperin’ Cairn) arrived, it took us several hours to convince the Dwarves to put down their tankards so we could go to the cairn There was some concern that if we didn’t go now, those adventurer’s from Waterdeep would get there first.
Apparently today is some Dwarven holiday. And apparently, the way Dwarves celebrate Moradin’s birthday (or whatever this holiday’s all about) is to get drunk. I mean really drunk. First thing in the morning’! Next thing I know, Eldron has picked me up and is spinnin’ me over his head, tellin’ me he wasn’t gonna stop till I had a drink.
It’s not that I don’t drink. I just don’t start getting’ drunk first thing in the mornin’.
When Igor (that slow, Damaran kid who was gonna take us to the Whisperin’ Cairn) arrived, it took us several hours to convince the Dwarves to put down their tankards so we could go to the cairn There was some concern that if we didn’t go now, those adventurer’s from Waterdeep would get there first.
The Whispering Cairn
We finally got the Dwarves and some extra equipment (includin’ a couple of healing potions) and headed out to the Whisperin’ Cairn. True to its name, the cairn seemed to almost be breathin’ and with each exhalation came a strange whisperin’. Dolgun seemed to think there were words in the whisperin’, but I couldn’t hear nuthin’.
We finally got the Dwarves and some extra equipment (includin’ a couple of healing potions) and headed out to the Whisperin’ Cairn. True to its name, the cairn seemed to almost be breathin’ and with each exhalation came a strange whisperin’. Dolgun seemed to think there were words in the whisperin’, but I couldn’t hear nuthin’.
The first thing of any interest we found was an old bedroll. Dolgun roasted it with his flamin’ snot because it was infested with fleas. Apparently, Dolgun‘s adverse to tiny vermin. That could be fun…
In the next alcove, we found five pieces of strange, broken, black glass. It’s not obsidian, but none of us could be sure what it was. It looks like it must have been part of a larger mirror, because we found half a broken mirror frame a little deeper in the cairn. On the base of the frame’s pedestal, there was some sigil that Carenthal said was symbol of the Wind Dukes of Kaleem.
In the next alcove, we found five pieces of strange, broken, black glass. It’s not obsidian, but none of us could be sure what it was. It looks like it must have been part of a larger mirror, because we found half a broken mirror frame a little deeper in the cairn. On the base of the frame’s pedestal, there was some sigil that Carenthal said was symbol of the Wind Dukes of Kaleem.
Wolves
We didn’t get to discuss it too much, however, because we were suddenly beset by half a dozen wolves! The wolves rushed Noraa (who was way up ahead of us) and took her down in a flurry of fangs and fur (oh darn). Eldron rushed in and killed one of the wolves with his greataxe. Hine shot and killed one with his longbow. Dolgun stuck several of the wolves in his fire so I shot one while it was struggling in the sticky flames. Carenthal rushed up to heal Noraa (although I have no idea why he’d be in such a hurry to heal her). Eldron killed another wolf. Storn killed a wolf with his great falchion. Hine put an arrow right in the alpha male’s eye and dropped it hard. The last wolf tore into Noraa again and dropped her (but didn’t kill her – stupid wolf) and ran off. Dolgun burned it down, however, before it could escape.
We didn’t get to discuss it too much, however, because we were suddenly beset by half a dozen wolves! The wolves rushed Noraa (who was way up ahead of us) and took her down in a flurry of fangs and fur (oh darn). Eldron rushed in and killed one of the wolves with his greataxe. Hine shot and killed one with his longbow. Dolgun stuck several of the wolves in his fire so I shot one while it was struggling in the sticky flames. Carenthal rushed up to heal Noraa (although I have no idea why he’d be in such a hurry to heal her). Eldron killed another wolf. Storn killed a wolf with his great falchion. Hine put an arrow right in the alpha male’s eye and dropped it hard. The last wolf tore into Noraa again and dropped her (but didn’t kill her – stupid wolf) and ran off. Dolgun burned it down, however, before it could escape.
More Wolves
The Clerics got Noraa back on her feet just in time for us to get jumped by another five wolves. I fired my crossbow (more in panic than due to any lightning reflexes) and hit one wolf square. Eldron ran in and killed one, but then got tripped and mauled by the other wolves! Dolgun also got tripped and bitten, but then he just breathed fire on them from the ground. I killed the wolf I had shot earlier with a Magic Missile. Then, as everyone else was trying to save the people on the ground, I killed another one with a well placed crossbow bolt. Hine killed the alpha female with another amazin’ bow shot and Dolgun finished off the last wolf by takin’ a big swig from his keg and blowin’ flamin’ ale all over the poor dog.
The Clerics got Noraa back on her feet just in time for us to get jumped by another five wolves. I fired my crossbow (more in panic than due to any lightning reflexes) and hit one wolf square. Eldron ran in and killed one, but then got tripped and mauled by the other wolves! Dolgun also got tripped and bitten, but then he just breathed fire on them from the ground. I killed the wolf I had shot earlier with a Magic Missile. Then, as everyone else was trying to save the people on the ground, I killed another one with a well placed crossbow bolt. Hine killed the alpha female with another amazin’ bow shot and Dolgun finished off the last wolf by takin’ a big swig from his keg and blowin’ flamin’ ale all over the poor dog.
Another Wolf
So we get all recovered again. Noraa says she can hear something’ down the hole the wolves came out of, so she crawls in and quickly gets mauled by a wolf guarding a couple of wolf pups. Dolgun and Eldron teamed up to kill the wolf. Inside the den, they found three wolf pups (which Eldron put in a bag and refused to give up) and an ornate indigo lantern.
Once again, the wolves injured Noraa, but failed to kill her. If she keeps up this recklessness, however, I guess I won’t have to worry about getting’ Morgan to expel her from the company.
Opposite the wolf den, we found an amazingly detailed fresco of a room with seven “arms,” at the end of each arm, hung a colored lantern. The indigo-colored lantern looked exactly like the lantern we had just found in the wolf den. So, we continued north only to find ourselves in the same chamber depicted in the fresco.
That’s strange. Why have a fresco in a tomb of a room that is also on the same tomb?
So we get all recovered again. Noraa says she can hear something’ down the hole the wolves came out of, so she crawls in and quickly gets mauled by a wolf guarding a couple of wolf pups. Dolgun and Eldron teamed up to kill the wolf. Inside the den, they found three wolf pups (which Eldron put in a bag and refused to give up) and an ornate indigo lantern.
Once again, the wolves injured Noraa, but failed to kill her. If she keeps up this recklessness, however, I guess I won’t have to worry about getting’ Morgan to expel her from the company.
Opposite the wolf den, we found an amazingly detailed fresco of a room with seven “arms,” at the end of each arm, hung a colored lantern. The indigo-colored lantern looked exactly like the lantern we had just found in the wolf den. So, we continued north only to find ourselves in the same chamber depicted in the fresco.
That’s strange. Why have a fresco in a tomb of a room that is also on the same tomb?
The Burial Tomb
The domed chamber was just like in the fresco, except the red and indigo lanterns were missing. Well, we had the indigo lantern, so really only the red one was missing. Noraa set of some sort of fire trap on the sarcophagus in the middle of the room when she opened it up, but no one was seriously hurt. It was more of just a flash of fire as opposed to anything really dangerous.
Of course, the sarcophagus was empty. Who traps an empty coffin? I figure it must be a false tomb and the fact that none of these “arms” have exits is a ruse. There’s probably a secret door or three in here somewhere. When we closed the lid, however, we ended up pushin’ the entire sarcophagus and its lid over like a pointer, so now instead of pointing at the orange lantern, it was pointing at the yellow lantern.
No sooner had the pointer snapped into place then we heard, or rather felt, a rumbling beneath our feet. Then, a metal tube rose up out of the floor below the yellow lantern! When it reached about the size of a man, it stopped and opened up, revealing a small room (maybe big enough for two people to squeeze into).
After a few minutes of discussion, we decided to see if there were other “elevators” under the other lanterns. So, we pushed the pointer towards the green lantern and sure enough, another metal tube rose up out of the ground. This one however, didn’t exactly stop at the top. It rose up about five feet or so and then looked like it got stuck. The rumbling kept going, like some huge mechanism was still pushing the tube up. Then there was a terrible clanking sound and the metal tube collapsed and fell through the floor leaving a gaping hole!
The domed chamber was just like in the fresco, except the red and indigo lanterns were missing. Well, we had the indigo lantern, so really only the red one was missing. Noraa set of some sort of fire trap on the sarcophagus in the middle of the room when she opened it up, but no one was seriously hurt. It was more of just a flash of fire as opposed to anything really dangerous.
Of course, the sarcophagus was empty. Who traps an empty coffin? I figure it must be a false tomb and the fact that none of these “arms” have exits is a ruse. There’s probably a secret door or three in here somewhere. When we closed the lid, however, we ended up pushin’ the entire sarcophagus and its lid over like a pointer, so now instead of pointing at the orange lantern, it was pointing at the yellow lantern.
No sooner had the pointer snapped into place then we heard, or rather felt, a rumbling beneath our feet. Then, a metal tube rose up out of the floor below the yellow lantern! When it reached about the size of a man, it stopped and opened up, revealing a small room (maybe big enough for two people to squeeze into).
After a few minutes of discussion, we decided to see if there were other “elevators” under the other lanterns. So, we pushed the pointer towards the green lantern and sure enough, another metal tube rose up out of the ground. This one however, didn’t exactly stop at the top. It rose up about five feet or so and then looked like it got stuck. The rumbling kept going, like some huge mechanism was still pushing the tube up. Then there was a terrible clanking sound and the metal tube collapsed and fell through the floor leaving a gaping hole!
Bugs
Of course, Noraa went up to check out the hole just in time for a huge swarm of beetles to gush out followed by some kind of eye surrounded by spiky legs!
What the hell is that thing?
Noraa had run as soon as the beetles had come up the hole. That left Hine exposed and the eye thing (Carenthal called it a Mad Slasher) went right for him! The beetles, however, went straight for Hine, leaving a trail of acid bubbling and hissing behind them. Noraa went down screaming
and Dolgun breathed fire on the swarm, but hardly seemed to hurt it at all. Then the Mad Slasher turned on Storn (who had tried to attack it) and dropped him in a couple of brutal hits.
I tried to throw alchemist’s fire on the beetles, but the seething mass of bugs seemed to consciously dodge the flask of fiery death. Hine fired an arrow that went right through the Mad Slasher’s eye and out its back, killing it. Just then, Dolgun breathed fire all over the swarm again, burning or scattering the remaining beetles.
Of course, Noraa went up to check out the hole just in time for a huge swarm of beetles to gush out followed by some kind of eye surrounded by spiky legs!
What the hell is that thing?
Noraa had run as soon as the beetles had come up the hole. That left Hine exposed and the eye thing (Carenthal called it a Mad Slasher) went right for him! The beetles, however, went straight for Hine, leaving a trail of acid bubbling and hissing behind them. Noraa went down screaming
and Dolgun breathed fire on the swarm, but hardly seemed to hurt it at all. Then the Mad Slasher turned on Storn (who had tried to attack it) and dropped him in a couple of brutal hits.I tried to throw alchemist’s fire on the beetles, but the seething mass of bugs seemed to consciously dodge the flask of fiery death. Hine fired an arrow that went right through the Mad Slasher’s eye and out its back, killing it. Just then, Dolgun breathed fire all over the swarm again, burning or scattering the remaining beetles.
Back to Base
With two of our party down, we decided to fall back and rest and recover. To make it more difficult for anyone else to explore, we took all the lanterns with us.
With two of our party down, we decided to fall back and rest and recover. To make it more difficult for anyone else to explore, we took all the lanterns with us.
When we got back to the guild house none of the senior members were back yet. We started tellin’ Jasper about our adventure so far and somehow the subject of the rumored Owlbear and the Lizardfolk’s Black Dragon came up. That really set Jasper off. Next thing I know, Jasper has gone off to his room and outfitted himself in full battle gear! Then he starts out of the guild house, but won’t tell us where he is goin’!
I decide to go with him. I hope I make it back to write what we find.
I decide to go with him. I hope I make it back to write what we find.
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