After pursuing the fleeing tigerman into a stocked larder festooned with hanging bodies the group chats with a deceased elf (via the cleric’s speak with dead ring). Turns out that he is just one of a string of adventurers that have come to he area seeking wealth. A bit of looting and a bit of scooting and the group resumes the trek through the caverns.
Eventually they enter a large cavern with a river running through it. In the midst of the river there is an island of sorts and stepping stones lead across the river. As they explore the riverside, they are attacked by a troll that surfaces from the river. The cleric is savaged and tossed into the depths to drown, while a second troll attacks the mage from the rear, cloaked in invisibility. Within seconds the mage is near death and the group is hard pressed to break contact without loss of life. Fortunately, the cleric has waterwalking abilities, so he is able to avoid drowning. A troll appears with a large tower shield and bellows a challenge. The mage replies with a fireball, but it seems to explode harmlessly on some sort of force bubble. This causes much consternation and head scratching.
Before long, the party has reached the island and it seems that the trolls are laying low. Exploration reveals a bunch of bones and a pile of scavenged loot, but not much else. The group decides to backtrack and upon traversing the river again, they are attacked again. They disengage and retreat from the area, nursing wounds and bearing a decidedly grudging attitude towards the trolls.
More wandering leads them to a black pyramid that houses something – tough to say what since there are no entrances apparent. Hmm. Odd. Well, this whole place is odd, so just the normal amount of odd, apparently. Onward. Oh look – goblins! The elf surrounds himself with a wall of fire, transforms into a bat and flies through the hapless goblins, roasting them within seconds. Hey, that was effective – gotta remember that.
The next series of caverns is all spidery. Webs, skittering things, the whole nine yards. Fire up the bat ring and off he goes, swooping about the caverns and making a flaming mess of spiders, webs, spider eggs, spider babies, the whole spidery business. A large group of rats is roasted as well and a massive bridge spanning the cavern is noted.
The bat rejoins the group and travels with them toward the bridge, keeping a wary eye out, but it seems the spiders don’t want to play hot batato and they journey uneventfully. Upon reaching the bridge, the elf flies onto it, turns back into the elf and prepares to lower a rope to the rest of the group. As he does so, he is attacked by a spider the size of a mastodon, festooned with cleavers instead of forelimbs and topped with beholder-like eye stalks that shoot a cone of intense cold at the elf and a massive lightning bolt that nearly slays him where he stands. He chugs a potion of gaseous form and wafts down to the party and beyond as he makes his escape. The group follows, somewhat alarmed and dismayed at this savage turn of events.
Leave a reply