From the journals of "Tweedle the bard" Day 1 (Saturday February 15th 216B) This morning I awoke in the library to a most auspicious omen. A luminescent little cave cricket that had somehow found its way down to these most secluded recesses uneaten by Goblins and their swarms of attendant rats, had ascended to the doorframe and begun chirping. I picked myself up and dusted off, quickly setting back to the colony to see what happy event the tiny insect was heralding. Luckily, there was no retribution for my absence this time. Her Majesty, Yusandrayal, and her throng of sycophant feminists who believe themselves to be the gods of this desiccated corpse of a city, seem not to have missed me. I suppose the estrous season and Her Majesty's fresh batch of new lovers are not always such nuisances after all. In fact, larger events had been unfolding in our dark, squalid little hole since last I left it. Giants from the surface had ventured down to slay the Drooling-Ones in the name of Our Queen, or so told the fanciful tales of my brethren. As I set out to resolve the veracity of this most dubious rumor I was confronted by Meepo (our subterranean colony's equivalent of a human village's idiot) who bid me come answer the Giants' questions. The "Giants", as the astute reader may already have guessed, were not so much giants as they were simply human. This is not to mention that one of their number was a half-man, standing no higher than I. Then again, my species is not known for its tendency to make such categorical distinctions in the face of armed creatures over four feet tall. At any rate, I was presented to the largest of them, a fellow, who, by all appearances, either had some demonic blood in him or was born under the sign of the Otyugh. This man (later I learned his name was Moge) proceeded to blurt forth some rather inarticulate questions regarding Ashardallian fountains and the animated dead. I answered as best I could but I pray for his sake that Lothian is not his native tongue. I suppose I should take a minute to describe Moge and his companions. There were six of them altogether . . . Editor's Note: See Notable Persons section of the Official Chronicle of the Baronies for descriptions . . . I realized then, and I still believe now that those six will be my means of conveyance out of this filthy hole where Kobolds and Goblins wage petty battles for a handful of empty rooms and corridors. If everything goes well, I can, as the saying goes, "ascend to Heaven on the Avoral's tail-feathers". The world of the surface awaits, with the splendor and glory of its bustling metropolises, its arch-mages and mighty warriors, and the vast uncharted frontiers where a man (or maybe even Kobold) can earn a name for himself with his wits and a sword. . . or, flute! But enough of me and my petty designs! Today I was fortunate enough to meet six fine companions I shall devote the rest of this entry to the record of their deeds. First I should say that after speaking with them they did, indeed appear to be interested in routing the goblins, but mostly as a means of attaining their primary goal, to silence the druid who lives deep within the Sunless Citadel of Ashardalon. We started in a corridor not far from the fountains where the goblins were manning a rather pathetic defense. Five or six of them were crouched behind a crude brick wall some thirty feet down the corridor where they slung sharpened sticks at the advancing party. To make things more difficult, they had strewn caltrops all over the floor in front of their position. Sadly for them, they had not counted on the mobility of non-Kobold invaders. A color spray from Essandri knocked some of them unconscious, and my companions simply walked carefully through the caltrop field, jumped the wall, and slaughtered the remainder. Since a goblin had escaped down the passage during the fight, we though it best to take our prisoners and leave the area to catch them by surprise at a later date. Red Kate asked for my assistance in interrogating one prisoner, which I gladly gave. After she had removed his blindfold with a dramatic flick of her whip, the goblin was sufficiently awed to reveal the positions and numbers of his comrades and their captured dragon. The second prisoner I attempted to enchant by means of a charm spell. The spell failed, but the little wretch pretended to be under my control, an artifice for which he received a sound drubbing from my cudgel. Then, for reasons unknown, Moge decided to sprint down to the other fountain room and was promptly bitten, mid-sprint, by one of a duo of dire rats. With help from "Red" Kate, he was able to defeat that rat and its companion. As I understand it, dire rats often bite Moge. I can't imagine why, since rats supposedly posses an acute sense of smell. My only explanation is that perhaps, like certain pungent cheeses, he is actually rather tasty inside despite his aroma. If we find the druid, maybe we can persuade him to ask a rat if this is indeed the case. Please forgive the tangent; I shall now return to the tale at hand. Investigation of a second door proved just as interesting, however, when it was opened to reveal a huge mound of festering garbage. Red Kate's sharp eyes picked out dire rats half submerged in the filth and even two clinging to the walls above the door inside the room. Withdrawing from the doorway and with amazing accuracy, she managed to dislodge and kill one of the rats by whipping a length of barbed chain around the doorframe in a blind attack. At that moment an unspeakable horror emerged from the pile of filth in the room. A rat the size of a tiger with filth and refuse entangled in its damp, matted fur let out a chilling hiss and charged forth to avenge its offspring. Its great yellow incisors clamped down on Moge's thigh, tearing through armor and with a sickening crunch. Battle was joined as Moge flew into an animalistic rage, dropping his shield and hefting his hand-and-a-half blade like a greatsword. I let fly a crossbow bolt which stuck in the creatures flank, barely phasing it and employed a martial chant to empower my allies. Red Kate and Korvath adroitly outmaneuvered the behemoth and with practiced teamwork struck at its soft throat and belly, drawing blood. Katie slung stones and Ming dispatched one of its children with his pronged spear before losing his balance and tumbling into a Goblin pit trap. Finally Moge cleaved the great beast's skull with a mighty stroke of his sword and shoved the carcass into the pit on top of Ming. (He later insisted that this was an accident, and not a sign of his demonic taint.) The task of searching the rats nest was, needless to say, rather unsavory. The only items of note were on the corpse of a Half-man. One of these items was a ring, inscribed, in Halfman script with the name "Karkas". I am unsure as to whether or not that particular Half-man, if restored to life, would have had the good humor to appreciate the trans-lingual pun. Day 2 (Sunday February 16th 216B) "Whenever a rainbow spans the sky, goblin children shall tremble in their holes and cling to their mothers' skirts for they will know well the tale of how those brilliant colors spell death for their kind." I like this quote so I wrote it down; some day I'll begin a story with it and circulate it among the Goblins. The dawn of the next day found us at the same goblin-manned wall in the same hallway, with a fresh company of nervous spearmen, pointed sticks readied. Goblin-kind must be fated to repeat their mistakes over and over again. One would imagine that after they had died so easily at this wall the first time they would have taken precautions to prevent it from happening again. Instead they sat behind their makeshift wall as Moge advanced down the corridor using a door as a massive tower shield, the rest of the party in tow. Their crude sticks clattered harmlessly to the floor as the procession of warriors advanced, bounded the wall, and cut them down. After this battle there were no prisoners to be taken. From here we advanced quickly down a twisting passage into a much larger room with a similar wall and almost a dozen goblins behind it. Red Kate and Moge were the first in the room, makeshift tower shields held up front to absorb the first barrage of crude javelins. They parted slightly and Essandri emerged between them loosing a dazzling array of indescribably vivid colors which caused all but the two most stalwart of the goblin defenders to fall to the ground convulsing and defenseless. The two left standing were hastily dispatched and the remainder of the helpless creatures put to the sword. Picking through the remains, Katie happened upon a small silver bottle engraved with Dwarven runes. As far as I can tell, the runes simply spell out the name of a place, nothing more. Trying the door to an adjacent room, we happened upon a Goblin prison in which were manacled a badly beaten Half-man, three Kobolds, and one Goblin. As we entered, the Goblin dropped his ruse and sprang from his chains to attack but was run through for his all his cunning. We freed the three Kobolds who were reluctant to leave, assuming that they'd be ransomed back any day now, and the Halfman, who was too badly beaten to heal to consciousness. We left the Halfman in a more comfortable position and from the room of massacred Goblins tried a second door. This opened into a store room of Goblin provisions which led, through another door to a long room filled with high stone columns and lit torches. The smoke in this room was too dense to see much of anything, and fearing ambush, we blockaded the storage room and decided to check a third door. This led to a small corridor in which Korvath triggered a crude Goblin pit trap but easily hopped to safety. Listening at the next door, Korvath overheard a few Goblins at play and was able to make out the words "Gin Rummy". Moge kicked the door open and promptly beheaded one of the hapless gamers, ruining an otherwise excellent hand of cards. Essandri and I prevented the flight of the other Goblins with daze spells, while Moge, Red Kate, and Ming managed to finish them off. A door from this room opened into the Goblins' "Trophy Room". Included among the trophies of dangerous beasts, which Goblins had managed to slay on their surface excursions, were several dire rats, a corpse of a great cat obviously scavenged, and a cow head with crude wooden horns nailed on. Apart from the macabre menagerie, however, four features of the room made it more interesting than those previously encountered. First of all, there was an iron spike protruding from the floor in the center of the room with a broken chain trailing from it. Second, a dead Goblin lay not three feet from the end of the chain, his broken body coated in frost. Third, the entire room was covered with a thin, near transparent layer of glare ice. Fourth was the alarming hissing noise coming beneath the table in the corner. Here was our baby dragon escaped from its bonds and probably bewildered at its newfound freedom. Remembering that its former caretaker used to soothe it with song, I tried the same. My Draconic lullaby seemed to calm it somewhat but when I stepped into the room I slipped on the ice, alarming the creature, which then attacked me. After being caught by a blast of its arctic breath, I managed to escape down the hall. Ming rushed forward and caught the little dragon in a strangle hold as Moge pummeled its head with his sap. We retrieved the Halfman prisoner and returned the beaten wyrmling to its cage for which the Kobold queen, in an unusual instant or unselfishness, granted my companions a reward from some of our clan's less useful magic treasures. I identified them to the best of my knowledge and the party settled on what appeared to be a cleric scroll and a potion which effectively combats filth fever. She also granted them the key to the Dragon's Mouth. This was enough effort for one day, and now, as I write, I am inundated by tales or religious epiphany from the Errol Fieldcutter, the Halfman we rescued. He's supposed to be a warrior but all I can see is a boring lout, even for a Half-man. He keeps talking about how he "found Athena during his darkest hour of bondage" and had some vision that we were going to rescue him. Personally, I don't know that I'd want to worship something I found in a Goblin prison cell, even if blunt-trauma-induced hallucinatory phantoms told me I'd be rescued for it. At least if he takes his religion seriously enough, he'll be able to heal himself next time. Luckily, Ming has generously offered to escort him back to the village of wall and he seems to agree that that is a wise course of action. In the meantime perhaps I shall pray to Athena for his safe, and more importantly speedy, return. Day 4 (Tuesday February 18th 216B) Man stands on the Earth Above him are The Seven Heavens Below him, The Abyss He leaps to grab the clouds But they are only fther He falls then into The Pit What angel shall deliver him now? -From The Riddle of Boccob, 3:16 I know that religious texts are not meant to be taken literally but after today's events, this passage keeps echoing in my mind. The day started off well enough as Ming and the Errol took their leave. The rest of us continued down to the corridor by the Goblin trophy room. Here we followed a twisting passage toward one of the Citadel's towers. Listening at the door, we determined that the room beyond was occupied by several creatures, some of whom were not speaking Goblin. Prepared for Hobgoblins, Bugbears, or worse we assumed battle formation, planning for Essandri to rush into the room and take the opposition by surprise with a color spray. Moge kicked in the door and Essandri rushed in to find an expansive circular room with a pit some fifteen feet in diameter in the center occupied by a motley assortment of goblinoids, including Hobgoblins, a grey-skinned Eastern Goblin, a potted twig blight, and a Hobgoblin seated atop what appeared to be a makeshift throne. Her color spray felled the leader's attendants and most of the goblins in the room, but the leader himself, the grey Goblin and the tougher warriors remained standing. One of them cast a spell I couldn't make out in the distance but Moge charged and felled him with a single stroke of his sword. The rest of us hurtled in, engaging the goblinoids in a chaotic fray. I tried and failed to charm the leader and began a Fey chant. Moge ran the grey-skinned Goblin through while Korvath and Red Kate dueled with the Hobgoblin warriors. Katie, too encumbered by her armor to get within sword range slung stones. At this point, a Hobgoblin ran at Korvath in an attempt to drive him into the pit. The nimble rogue evaded easily, but their goblinoid leader's eyes flashed with inspiration as he saw Moge fighting dangerously close to the mouth of the hole. Blindsiding the barbarian, the Hobgoblin managed to push him over the edge and into that deep, black abyss. After what must have been two or three seconds we heard him hit bottom with a nauseating crunch. Everyone blanched visibly and Katie began her descent of the pit, which luckily was covered in vines, in a daring attempt to save the life of the fallen half-orc. Even at the limits of my dark vision I could not see the bottom. Encumbered by her armor, I feared she wouldn't make in time to save him should he be still alive. Above, Essandri cast a second color spray dropping nearly every enemy left standing above and the rest of us set to work finishing them off. To illuminate the bottom of the pit, Essandri threw a light cantrip on a coin and tossed in into the pit. With her goal now in sight, Katie realized the climb would take too long and dropped the rest of the way, Managing to heal Moge's broken body just before his spirit passed away. All was not well yet, however, as she was immediately set upon by a pair of skeletons and a pair of twig blights. Invoking the power of Athena, she blasted the walking dead to dust with a blinding flash of divine radiance. The twig blights proceeded undaunted, and, lacking a weapon capable of harming them, Katie was forced to scramble back up the vines. Luckily, the twig blights ignored the comatose barbarian and pursued Katie up the walls of the pit. Korvath abandoned the grisly chore of butchering the enemy left helpless by Essandri's spell and came to Katie's aid in the pit where, while hanging from vines, managed to shatter the twig blights with his mace. With our foes lying dead around us, Katie was able to heal Moge to the point where he could climb again and all of us rested for a moment in the circular room. We managed to recover a locked, but trapped chest from beneath the Hobgoblin's "throne". Not wanting to trigger the trap, we simply carried it with us on our way home. Day 5 (Wednesday February 19th 216B) Finally I have escaped from the dank pit of Ashardalon! Today the party decided that they should return to the village of Wall to renew supplies. I simply followed them out as if I was part of the group and no one, Human or Kobold, said a word! Dear reader, please forgive my brevity in this and most likely future entries but there is far too much to occupy my time here on the surface. Nothing of epic import, mind you- or else I would, of course, faithfully record it. But for right now I shall simply devote my time to practicing the customs of the Humans. Day 8 (Saturday February 22nd 216B) Shame! I've been lax in my duties- not a word written in two full days. I attribute my newly acquired sloth to the sun. Such a bright thing it is that pierces the eyes and lances the mind. So warm up here, all I can think of is napping in the shade of trees and playing my flute to the accompaniment of birds. Today I met a man, however, of whom something must be written. In the garrison of my Human companions is a rather pushy fellow who, besides his remarkable girth, is peculiar in that he has a pair of white, feathery wings that sprout from his back. Far from your average celestial, he often makes a point of being insulting, belligerent, and downright abusive, verbally and physically, to those around him. (There are a few exceptions, such as your humble author.) A follower of Kord, he has two well-honed talents: First, the ability to pick a fight with anyone or anything, and secondly the ability to win that fight in a manner most humiliating to his opponent. I like to perch on the rooftops, using Celestial hymns to enhance his already considerable talents while illusory crowds (another instance of my fine mystical powers) cheers him on and jeers his foes. Today, his victim was Moge. Moge, for all his brutish strength, is no master of the Thule arts and although he put up quite a valiant struggle, especially with Katie in his corner cheating with all the divinity at her disposal, he was soundly thrashed. I think, after he finally regained consciousness that I could see a little red creeping into his grey-green Half-orc complexion and he hasn't been quite himself since. At any rate, that is all for today's entry. I'm off now for my daily Celestial lesson with Kitera, our village's priestess of Pelor. Pelor! Alas, once again the sun stays me from my authorship! Summary Ended (Sunday February 23rd 216B) NEXT TIME : The land below REWARDS ------- Items ----- Momma Rat 5 dagger studded leather shortbow sack, waterskin, flint & steel potion - faint 6 arrows 17 gp gold ring - 'karkas' engraved on it - 10gp 300 sp 68 gp 3 gems ( 20 gp, 40 gp, 20gp) Goblin guards silver flask - dwarvish runes - 50gp key Goblin thief leather morning star Dragon room dragon jade figurine (20gp) crystal goblet (5gp) 24 pieces of goblin silver medallion (1gp per) scroll case of bone - dwarvish writing about Glitterhaum - (something about dwarves reclaiming the new mountains) Reward from Kobold Queen cleric scroll - faerie fire potion of cure filth fever x3 Goblin Leader 23 sp 4 gp light mace mw shortbow longsword signet ring - script in halfman (name) - (5 gp - possibly more to family) scale mail Reward from Kobold Queen 2 Magic Key Chest from Goblin Leader 231gp 2 gems (30gp per ) 2 doses antitoxin scroll - knock potion (faint trans) XP Summary ---------- 1000 XP per character. (already received in session) Experience Rewards ------------------ +150 Tweedle (For his Journals) +150 Katie (Saving Moge) Session Notes ------------- Katie - noticed that she requires no magical gestures to cast bull's strength. In essence is always "Still" Essandri - discovered that she can sometimes sense magic, when she has no active spells running.