B.O.N.K.

Bastards of Night's Knights

The half-drow children of a group of human adventurers tired of living in their fathers shadows, the campaign starts out with the four foolish bastards sneaking out into the darklands to seek their own fame and fortune. Raised on tales of heroism their hateful mothers and jealous drow half-brothers were easily able to trick them into thinking they had found a hidden treasure map when it actually leads to a slaver's ambush.

What happens next? I dunno, make your own bastards or use the ones below and decide yourself.

1. The Journey

nightmare of spelunking and aberrations in the dark

2. The Ambush

an unpleasant surprise and a beat down

3. The Slave Pits of Grak Nal

surviving the pit fights

4. Sold!

a one way ticket to a tropical hell

5. The Tomb Builders

6. Into the Jungle

a sweltering hell full of bugs, snakes, and poisonous tiger spiders

7. The Snake Tribe

8. The Return

vengeance at last!

The bastards fathers adventures are chronicled below, but be warned, it is long and boring.

Ho Tic rogue/sorcerer 1/1

Zar Findom rogue/ranger 1/1

Nip Pirthless rogue/druid 1/1

The Axe rogue/fighter 1/1

Tuck a mellow badger (Nip's animal companion)

Well it started out fine, the four human rogues met various sewer dwelling monstrosities while exploring the ruins beneath the city for the thieves guild and after a few rounds their sneak attacks prevailed in all four fights. The half-flooded mage's crypt however had an otyugh that had been warped by the residual magic and its vampiric touch tentacles kept it flailing long after it should have died. When the party decided to flee was when they discovered the wall of force over the doorway. Luckily, Ho Tic had learned detect secret doors and the badly wounded and demoralized party narrowly escaped. With the angry beast pounding at the door, the party ran deeper into the ruins.

The ruins went for a few hundred yards ending in a large 30x30 room, in the northwest corner the wall had collapsed revealing a rubble filled cave. With no other way to go the party went in. After a short climb over some large rocks they came to a large pit and everyone put their climbing harnesses on. The drop was only 50 feet or so, but it was not free-hanging. In other words they couldn't slide straight down the rope. They had to snake their way around sharp rocks as they descended. The ascent would be more difficult for the same reason. The pit varied in diameter from about 10 feet, to 3 or 4 in a few places.

The walls were lined with a sharp, white rock called popcorn covered with dust and dirt kicked down from above. The popcorn made it painful to brush against the side of the pit. A few scrapes later at the bottom of the drop the cavers got to do some crawling for awhile. There was a small cavern, about 8X8 feet, at the bottom that gave the first one down a spot to take a break under a ledge while the rest of the party came down.

Then they had to drop to their hands and knees to negotiate a 10-foot long passage that was only a few feet high. The floor was covered with a soft dirt, intermingled with bits of broken rock from above. The thin layer of dirt did nothing to soften the blow to the hands and knees as the party made their way through the crawl space. As a reward, at the end of the crawl, they got to drop to their bellys and wiggle under a tight squeeze pulling their packs behind them.

Once on the other side of the squeeze there were a few feet of crawl space, then the cave opened up enough to stand. For most of the rest of the cave they could stand, or at least stoop. The cave split off into several passages at this point. Two routes wound around rocks and crevasses and came to abrupt dead-ends, with one having a fist-sized hole leading deeper into the earth. The other two led to small pools of water. They all led on for a hundred feet or so in a gradual downward slope. Most of the time they could walk upright in the passages. Other times they had to climb over large boulders and occasionally had to crawl on their hands and knees.

At one the pools a rock with light cast on it determined the cave continued down for a couple hundred feet underwater. What they were hoping for is that the passage came up somewhere else, with a way out hopefully, just not one that deep. Discouraged, the party made camp and discussed whether they would rather eat one another when their rations ran out or face the warped otyugh and get eaten by it.

After resting eight hours (and leveling up!) the party began discussing other options. The corn fed, not too bright Zar Findom offered to attempt the long dive down into the pool. The Axe came up with the idea of trying to widen the hole at the dead end enough for Nip Pirthless to send in his badger and see if the passageway went anywhere. At first Nip said no way, but when the vote was unanimous for Tuck to be the first one eaten if they went with plan A, he relented.

Ho Tic rogue/sorcerer/fighter 1/1/1

Zar Findom rogue/ranger 1/2

Nip Pirthless rogue/druid 2/1

The Axe rogue/fighter 1/2

Tuck (Nip's badger buddy)

Chiseling away with an iron spike was slow arduous work and the four rogues worked 24 hours rotating in 2 hour shifts before the hole was big enough for Tuck to squeeze through. Nip had stopped a few times to listen, he wasn't sure, but he thought he heard some kind of rumbling or growling from the passage beyond. And while the digging was going on Tuck seemed edgy, like he sensed something he didn't like.

Tuck went in after a few minutes of coaxing and was able to let Nip know the passage continued on. The party decided to rest again and widen up the passage some more the next day. While Zar was on watch he thought he heard a scraping sound and looked up just in time to hear a terrible scream trail off and echo into the darkness of the cavern.

He stared wide-eyed at the hole, for several moments he didn't move, or breathe. He turned to look at the others. Moments earlier they had been catching a nap. Now, they were standing upright, weapons readied. Zar turned and looked into the hole again, half expecting to see a demon face staring back. They all stared into the opening to the limits of the light. There was no motion, only darkness beyond the reaches of the light. In the complete silence that followed they could hear their hearts pounding in their ears. Not another sound could be heard in the cave.

Suddenly Zar heard a scraping noise behind him and straightened up so fast he nearly knocked himself out hitting his head on the overhang. It was just Nip moving to cast a light spell. The Axe spoke and again Zar jumped. He said to get some rocks and put them into the hole. He explained that whatever animal had made that noise might be able to get through the hole. Zar immediately grabbed a few rocks and slid them as far back into the tunnel as he could reach, creating a wall between them and the other side. Since the space was so small it didn't take long. The entire time Zar was doing this, however, he was thinking that the noise definitely did not come from an animal! It sounded like a cross between a man screaming in fear, and a cougar screaming in pain.

After filling the back of the passage with rocks they just sat there listening to the silence, breathing a lot more rapid than usual. None of them spoke for quite some time.

Finally Ho Tic suggested they get back to work, but keep an eye out for movement in the hole. They put a light in the passage, to say they were nervous would be an understatement. Zar took over the work, which was fine with the others who didn't mind being further from the hole. Zar would stop from time to time and listen. The others just sat, watching him, Nip found himself looking behind him down the passage to the still water. Every time Zar's light would cast an unusual shadow Tuck would jump. Oddly, Zar now seemed to be less concerned about the strange noise than the rest of the party. After a short time he seemed to be focused entirely on getting through the passage. Nip was still straining to listen above the sound of the digging. He heard nothing but the now familiar sound of iron on stone.

Zar let out a yell. Possibly a cuss word. He started wailing away at the hole and after nearly ten solid minutes of hammering he sat back against the rock, sweating and nearly out of breath. The iron spike was still protruding from the cave wall. He held the hammer toward The Axe, inviting him to take a few swings. He held up his hand and shook his head. The party had been ready to exit this cave for quite awhile now. Zar didn't press the issue, and without speaking the party gathering up their gear to go camp next to the shallow pool.

It's amazing what a couple good meals and a little sleep can do for someone's attitude. Even though they still had memories of the strange noise fresh in their minds, the other side of the passage seemed so close. They were sure this would be the day. The sight of the circle of rock illuminated by their everburning torches, the smell of dirt in the air, the sound they made as they crawled across the rock, they were once again ready to blaze the trail leading to an undiscovered part of the cave. They immediately noted the presence of the breeze blowing out of the hole, and the rumbling noise from beyond.

The party was well rested and wanting to start work. Zar was making the hammer sing with each blow. After a mere 2 or 3 minutes he let out a cheer. He turned to throw down a 100 pound rock that used to be attached to the cave. He was breathing heavy, but had a big smile on his face. So did everyone. For the time the strange noise had been forgotten, and the vision of success captured their attention.

The hole was still small, If they were going to make it in without widening the hole any more, they would have to put both arms over their heads, in a diving position, and "slip" in. The width of the entrance was the limiting factor. The height was sufficient. The arms-overhead gave the best squeeze side to side.

In order to enter straight into the hole they stood and bent over, knees bent, the position was uncomfortable, sort of a semi-squatting position, bent at the waist with arms overhead.

Nip went first with Tuck right behind him. Once inside he had a few inches all around in which to position his body. He decided to try the one-arm-forward technique to get through, he could use his forward arm to pull and his other arm to push. At the same time he would wiggle his body, trying to arch as much as he could to keep his chest off the rocks.

It became immediately obvious that they were going to have to do some more work removing rocks from the passage floor. As he moved along the surface he was constantly scraping his chest on the rocks. They were sharp and it was painful. Occasionally he caused a rock to slide along under his chest and actually wedge him between it and the top of the passage. He then had to back up and either try to move the rock to the side with his cheek, using a sweeping motion with his head, or back way out and move it with his forward hand.

While lying in the darkness, in a passage deep within a cave, Nip was in a unique position to ponder. Picture yourself in his position: Lying on your stomach your left arm is extended over your head. Your right arm is at your side, having only a few inches in which to move. Your arms and hands are sore and bleeding from crawling/pulling yourself across the broken rocks. Your entire body is resting on the rocks. Your neck gets tired of holding your head off the rocks so you gently rest your cheek on the rock to rest. Once you start again you have to push with your toes to scoot your body forward, sliding across the rocks. After moving a few inches you are breathing hard and have to rest. As you inhale you can feel your back pressing hard against the top of the squeeze. It takes several minutes before you recover enough to press forward. The entire time you are lying there you think about how you are going to get back out. And, what if you can't?

When he reached the point where his back was rubbing and he could feel with his head that the passage was not getting bigger, he decided to give it one more push. He took a few minutes to rest, then went for it. Exhaling completely all of the air in his lungs, causing his chest to collapse enough to scoot forward a few inches. Because it takes so much effort to scoot he only went a few inches before he had to stop and breathe. As he inhaled, his chest pressed hard against the floor and his back against the top. It took a little longer to get his breath back. Unbelievably, he did it again! Exhale, scoot, rest. Again, only a few inches. Repeat. he took a few extra minutes to "enjoy" this position, pinned in this small passage. Nip tried one more time to exhale and scoot but his back was rubbing too much to continue. He took several long minutes to lay there and recover from the effort.

Backing out was not too difficult, but did take some work. he encountered the same obstacles as when he went in. After wiggling his hips out of the hole, which took some time, he had trouble getting his shoulders out. Both arms were overhead at this point and his shoulders were brushing the sharp rocks. After struggling to find a good position he gave up and just pulled his upper body out. SCRAAAAPE! his shirt pulled up over his head, and he had some nice scrapes on my shoulders.

From Nips attempt they were able to determine that they needed about 8 inches in height to get through the smallest portion, that meant they would have to scrape out about an inch from the floor of the passage in the smallest part. Using an iron spike lashed onto the end of Ho Tic's staff they were able to scarpe and chip away the rock in front of them in a few hours. At this point they went back to their camp by the pool.

The next day using the exhale, scoot, catch breath, repeat formula the party made it to the cave on the other side pulling their gear through with a rope.The passage immediately following the squeeze was narrow with a low ceiling but easy to get through, but they would have to crawl. It was about 20 feet long and at the end the cave bent slightly to the right up a gentle slope. The next section was about 40 feet long and they were ablr to stand. In addition to having a higher ceiling, the walls were a little wider than the section they just crawled through.

The passage continued on for another 100 feet or so before the cave opened up a little. It was at the end of a short straight segment of the cave. At the very end of the segment the cave made a bend to the left and opened up into a room. Just at the point where the room began there was a round rock that appeared to be leaning against the wall. Once past the round rock the room opened up to a height of about 15 feet. It was about 15 feet in width and about 30 feet in length. At the far end of the room there was another passage leading straight out.

On the left side of the room on the wall at about eye-level Nip discovered what appeared to be hieroglyphics. It was a single drawing that almost appeared to be just part of the rock coloration. It looked like very crude representations of people, standing below a symbol. This meant that there had to be another entrance to this cave. Taking a brief break they heard a sound deep within the cave. It was the faint, but distinct sound of rock sliding on rock. The party stood there straining to hear the sound again for a few minutes. Nothing.

The passage at the far end of the room led to darkness. The entrance was about 5 feet high looked liked it continued at that height for as far back as they could see. Right as they entered the passage from behind they heard the scraping noise again. It was loud. It was close! It was coming from the large room they just left! Suddenly the lights went out and buried in the heavy darkness fear enveloped the party. The scraping noise lasted only a second and now the only sound was their own panic-inspired breathing. The darkness seemed to hold them in place. Finally Ho Tic broke the stupor of terror long enough to cast light again. Immediately the party strained to get a glimpse of any movement in the room. Nothing.

The everburning torches were not working, Nip cast light on a rock and hesitated, then threw it into the large room. The throw was a perfect one and the rock sailed through the length of the room. In the brief moment that the light traveled through the room they saw nothing but cave walls. The absence of anything unusual did nothing to ease their state of panic. At the far end of the room there was got a brief glimpse of the round rock as the light bounced on it. Then the light went behind the rock and seemed to disappear.

The short trip back through the room took an eternity. As they passed the crude drawing it seemed to glow, as if offering some sort of warning. Everything about this cave seemed to instill fear. Toward the far end of the room they could see the round rock dimly at the far reaches of Ho Tic's light. Something seemed different about it, at first they couldn't tell what. Within a few feet they could finally tell what had changed, it had moved! THAT was the sound they heard. Again terror gripped the entire party as they realized how close they were to...

something! With no choice but to continue they inched toward the rock, holding the light ahead of him in his shaking hand, Ho Tic used it to pierce the darkness.

Their gaze fixed on the round rock, they proceeded forward. No movement could be seen in the dim glow of the light spell. Peering over the top of the round rock in the side of the passage near the floor was a hole, another passage revealed. It had been covered by the rock! The rock could not have moved by itself. Staring down the newly discovered passage, it went down at a 45 degree angle and continued straight for as far as they could see. Several feet down they could see the rock with the light spell on it that Nip had thrown. It illuminated the passage enough that they could tell the walls were fairly smooth. The floor seemed to be the same way, unlike the rest of the cave. The passage was about 3 feet in diameter as far as they could see.

They felt the wind start from the passage below, and with it the most nauseating stench they had ever experienced. It smelled like damp, rotting, rancid, putrid, DEATH. Zar started to dry-heave, The Axe yelled, "WHAT is THAT?". Fighting the rising need to vomit the party ran down the 5 foot high passage into the darkness.

The passage continued on for a few hours branching off into smaller passages occasionally, finally it ended in a 50 foot drop down to a worked stone floor. After climbing down, on closer inspection it appeared they had found some even older ruins then the ones below the sewers. After getting an ancient door closed between them and the caverns the party felt safe enough rest.

All was quiet, the only sounds came from the creak of leather armor as Zar shifted his weight slightly from one foot to the other, staring into the deep darkness of the tunnel ahead cut only by the dim light spell on his belt. Several paces behind him Ho Tic and The Axe were quietly talking about the "simple" mission that had brought them to this accursed place. The tall rogue/sorcerer/fighter ran a skeletal finger tracing their route along the hastily scrawled map that he had made.

Zar shot the pair an angry scowl and then returned to his watch with a worried, yet vigilant stare. It had been some time since Nip and Tuck had slunk off to check the way. The rogue/druid knew his work well and was probably one of the sneakiest men Zar knew. Neither of these facts eased his mind at the length of time that had passed since they last seen the wiry sneak thief fade into the darkness. "Well, have ya figured out how we're going get back to the city?" The Axe asked.

"No" One thin eyebrow raising to show his displeasure. The Axe grimaced and was about to say more when Zar, cut them short with a hate-filled hiss. "Quiet your banter, something comes" the rogue/ranger cursed in a harsh whisper and adjusted his stance to meet the approaching thing.

Ho Tic hurriedly stuffed the map into his jerkin and drew a slim golden-tipped wand from his belt. The Axe snatched up a pair of his six hand axes and took up a position next to Zar, a wide excited grin spreading across his round face. Tense silence ebbed from the deep shadowy tunnel before them, still nothing came. Nail-biting moments later the familiar skulking form of Nip emerged from the darkness, at a distance disturbingly close to Zar. It was unnerving to the rogue/ranger how sneaky the little man could be.

"There is danger beyond. The hall is long, six doors stand along each side, ending at a narrow stair. The stair leads to water, if Tuck's nose serves him right." "What danger do you speak of?" Zar asked, looking past the rogue/druid into the gloomy hallway.

"I heard noises behind many of the doors also a well concealed blade trap near mid hall" Nip related as he nervously rechecked the clip of his repeating crossbow to make sure it was loaded. "What ain't you telling us skinny?" The Axe growled low as he watched the nervous actions of the rogue/druid. "I am not certain, but I FEEL strangely the closer I get to the end of the hall and that stairwell"

The small band stood in silence for a long moment, each member mulling over the information they now had. Each in turn looking at the others to try and get some sense of what they should do. The long silence broken as The Axe spit and then gave a decisive grunt. "Pick one" was all he said shrugged on his backpack and pulled his studded leather mask on his head. The rest of the band looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Pick a damed door! All this standing around only fills yer mind with doubt and yer belly with fear of the unknown, So pick a door and let's get on with it!" He all but ordered as he again took up a pair of his axes. The Axe's bluster chasing away the growing uncertainty. Zar shrugged, tested the weight of his greatsword and then took up a position next to The Axe without saying a word. "You two waiting for a written invite?" Both Ho and Nip prepared themselves for battle and then took up positions behind the other two. "The first on the right will serve as well as the rest" Ho Tic stated before he cast a protective spell upon himself with a quick gesture and a hasty chant of arcane syllables under his breath.

Before the others could form a plan for the entry The Axe went into action, ramming a stout shoulder into the warped wooden door. The force of the blow knocking it from it's upper hinge, causing it to swing inward. The noisy entrance was followed by a host of hissing curses as a dozen ruddy faced goblins scurried for weapons to defend themselves from newly realized foes.

"GOBLINS" Bellowed The Axe happily as he charged the nearest foe striking the stunned creature square in the forehead, splitting it's face down to it's chin with a sickening crunch.

Zar stepped in more cautiously and was greeted by several arrows that narrowly missed. Goblins scurried around like cockroaches fleeing from the light on Zar's belt. Click-twang and a goblin fell to a repeating crossbow bolt lodged in it's neck. A crackling bolt of energy erupted from Ho's outstretched hand missing Zar's head by a daggers width and engulfed the head of one of the goblin archers. The creature's skull was momentarily illuminated with arcane energy before it exploded with a cacophony of hissing pops as the goblin's brain boiled inside it's skull.

The goblin's recovered quickly from the surprise attack. Three of the beasts formed a crude defensive line with shields and maces as the remaining five archers fired a volley of barbed black arrows at the intruders. Two missed Zar as he nimbly stepped aside, a third sailed over the head of Nip as the quick-footed rogue/druid ducked low. The fourth and fifth arrows hammered into Ho's chest, knocking the wind from his lungs, dazed he stumbled backwards into the hall.

The Axe and Zar charged headlong into the waiting goblin battle line. Zar's sword and The Axe's twin axes each claiming a life in the process. The two remaining goblins struck hasty blows at Zar's legs, only to be blocked by his quick swordplay. The archers fired and arrows sprouted from The Axe's chest like a porcupine. He stumbled a step backwards with each successful hit. Click-twang and an archer fell to another well placed bolt in it's throat. Ho's vision cleared just in time to witness the two farthest doors explode in a hail of splinters and two hulking ogres lumber into the hall. He tried in vain to get his burning lungs to function long enough to utter a spell, but to no avail. Through each door mobs of chattering goblins flooded in behind the ogres.

Zar slammed his sword into the face of one foe splitting it's skull with the force and lopped the head off the other with a backhand swing of his blade. Nip took a shot at the lead ogre. His bolt sticking in the beast's shoulder, but the brute paid it little mind as it continued towards them. Four more arrows thudded into The Axe and he dropped to his knees with a pain filled bellow.

Nip manhandled the wheezing Ho out of the hall, causing him to drop his wand in the process. The Ogres were nearly on them when the two stumbled into the chamber. Zar leaped amongst the goblin archers, striking one down with an overhand swing that caused a gout of blood to spray in a wide arc from the dying creature. The three others scampering away as quickly their feet could carry them from the deadly rogue/ranger. At seeing The Axe downed the nimble Nip bolted towards him fishing inside of one of his many pouches for something to aid his injured companion.

"oooo..Ogres" Ho wheezed just as the first hulk loomed into view. With a curse on his lips Zar abandoned his attack on the goblins and made to rush towards the open doorway. The goblin's fired with shaking hands that sent their deadly missiles wide of the rushing rogue/ranger.

By the time Nip had reached the arrow ridden Axe the lead ogre was forcing his way through the doorway. The massive creature resembled a large child birthing from a stony womb as it tried to wriggle it's hulking frame through the doorway. Zar had just reached within striking distance when the creature fully stepped into the chamber.

Nip's hand found the vial he sought only in time to be knocked headlong as a goblin arrow caught him between the shoulders. Nip fell hard landing mostly on his face beside The Axe. Ho's arcane bolt exploded the goblin bowman in a fountain of sparks and gore that painted the wall behind it with smoking black guts. The other two fired on him, who this time nimbly avoided the arrows.

Zar landed a flurry of slashes that laid long gashes across the ogre's thick hide, but doing no more damage than a kitten fighting a tiger. The Ogre planted a bone-jarring blow into Zar's arm that nearly broke it and drove him two steps backwards.

A teaming horde of goblin warriors jockeyed for position behind the second ogre who had begun to squeeze through the doorway. Ho began a summoning spell to aid them in what looked to be a hopeless battle. His spell-work was cut short by a goblin arrow grazing his temple and clouding his vision with dancing black spots. Nip fired from where he lay on the floor and managed to kill another archer after only two tries.

Zar wove a curtain of flashing steel, but was only able to fend off the ogre's heavy blows. With each smashing strike he lost a foot of ground as the ogre rained down blows upon him with it's iron-shod club.

Ho used his wand to throw a bolt of magical energy at the lone archer, but missed his target because of his blurred vision. The goblin fired and his arrow missed the teetering Ho's head by a hand width. The goblin yelped and then fell dead a repeating crossbow bolt in it's chest. Nip collapsed on his now empty crossbow.

Zar continued his fighting retreat until he was almost to where Nip and The Axe lay on the floor. The ogre's blows falling like anvils, one misstep later he lay sprawled on his back, tripped by the sundered corpse of a headless goblin. The ogre raised his club in a two-handed grip to deliver the killing blow. Zar struggled to raise his left hand in a feeble attempt to ward off the blow that was going to crush his skull like an egg. The blow never came.

A blood curdling battlecry echoed through the chamber as The Axe crashed headlong into the ogre. The Axe was like a rabid wolverine, foam caked his bloody lips, his eyes burned with a maddening hatred. His twin axes swung like a windmill of biting steel. Every time an axe fell a fist-sized toe flew free of its foot. The ogre howled in pain as the rabid Axe ducked and dodged between it's legs leaving ragged red hacks wherever his axe found flesh to reave. His limbs pumped with rage driven fury and the ogre fell like a toppling tree. Gallons of blood pumped from the ruined legs of the howling beast as the mad Axe worked his deadly art up the creature's torso towards it screaming head.

The second ogre had managed the doorway by this time and a howling horde of goblin-kin followed in his wake. Ho dragged the downed Nip towards the rear corner of the chamber as The Axe's axe split the boulder-like skull of the dying ogre, ending it's cries with a wet gurgle. Zar managed to gain his feet just as the wave of goblins lead by the lumbering ogre crashed over him. The ogre focused his attacks on The Axe that had felled his brother as crazed goblins threw themselves bodily at Zar who stood tall slashing and hacking goblins to bloody bits.

The ogre's first blow caught The Axe as he struggled to free his axe from the skull of the dead ogre. The overhand smash resembled a carpenter driving a nail as the massive club hammered The Axe's head. The force of the blow dropped him to his knees. The Axe could feel a sharp crack of white-hot pain streak through his skull as his left eye suddenly went black.

The blow had cracked his skull and exploded his eye, that even now was running down his ruined cheek in a wet bloody smear. Any other would have been laid low by such an injury, but the rage filled Axe sprang back to his feet drawing another axe from his belt. The Ogre raised his club again, but the insane Axe leapt onto the ogre's broad chest like a monkey climbing a tree, planting axes as he went. The beast and The Axe both howled in fury as they toppled over in a tangled mess of blood and steel. The ogre smashed, pulled and beat, while The Axe hacked, kicked and bit. The two foes wrestled in tumbling ball that crushed goblins as they rolled in deadly grapple.

Zar's gore drenched blade had carved a wide arc in the goblin horde. Goblin corpses lay piled knee-deep around him. He bled from numerous wounds and only his battle training kept his burning muscles working their deadly duty, but still the goblins came like a river of slaughter. Ho used the last charge of his fireball wand blasting nearly a score of screaming goblins to powdery ash, the remainder fleeing in its wake. He fell in a crumpled heap next to the wounded Nip. The only sounds were the muffled footfalls of fleeing goblins and wet thudding of the dead ogre's skull as The Axe continued to beat the pulpy mess with methodical axe blows. Zar stumbled over to the battle-weary Axe and laid a calming hand on his shoulder.

"We must get the others and move before they return" he said in low dry-throated growl. The Axe gazed up at him with a bloody, half-crushed face. His one remaining eye glazed with pain and gave an agreeing nod.

Ho Tic rogue (acrobat)/sorcerer/fighter 1/1/2

Chaotic Neutral male human

5'8" 130 pounds, dark red hair, green eyes, pale skin

Str 14

Dex 16

Con 14

Int 13

Wis 12

Cha 16

AC 17 HP 39

Fort +2 | Ref +5 | Will +3

BAB +2

Staff +4 1d6+3

Claws +4/+4 1d4+2

Traits: Threatening Defender, Dangerously Curious

Feats: Spell Affinity Talent (scorching ray), Eschew Materials, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Riposte, Endurance, Physical Training (+1 Dexterity).

Flaw: Skinny (-3 Fort saves).

Skills (ranks): Acrobatics +9(1), Bluff +7(1), Climb +9(2), Craft (alchemy) +5(1), Diplomacy +7(1), Knowledge (arcana) +8(4), Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8(4), Perception +5(1), Stealth +8(2), Swim +6(1), Use Magic Device +11(4).

Languages: Common, Draconic

Red Draconic Bloodline: Claws (Su): Grow claws as a free action. These claws are treated as natural weapons, allowing you to make two claw attacks as a full attack action using your full base attack bonus. Each of these attacks deals 1d4+2 points of damage, 6 rounds per day.

Spells per day: 4 - 1st level

Spells Known

0th level - Light, Spark, Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation

1st - Detect Secret Doors, Scorching Ray (4d6+4 damage)

Gear: Leather Armor (10% spell failure), Explorer's Outfit, Wand of Magic Missiles (12 charges), Staff, 3 daggers (one in each boot and one on belt), black wide brimmed hat, Backpack with 100' hemp rope, grappling hook, bedroll, climbers kit, 2 weeks trail rations, flint & steel, 12 candles, a dozen sheets of parchment, vial of ink, 2 crow feather quills.

Notes: Going for Dragon Disciple prestige class, favored class rogue bonus added to hit points.

Zar Findom rogue/ranger(guide) 1/3

Neutral Good male human

5'6" 135 pounds, black hair, grey eyes, light skin

Str 18

Dex 14

Con 14

Int 12

Wis 14

Cha 10

AC 16 HP 43

Fort +5 | Ref +7 | Will +3

BAB +3

Greatsword (MW) +8 2d6+9

Traits: Scholar of Ruins, Devotee of the Green

Feats: Power Attack, Cleave, Furious Focus, Dodge, Endurance.

Combat Style: Two-handed Weapon.

Favored Terrain: Underground (+2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks and leaves no trail and cannot be tracked when he is underground).

Skills (ranks): Acrobatics +9(4), Climb +13(4), Disable Device +6(1), Heal +8(3), Knowledge (dungeoneering) +9(4), Knowledge (geography) +7(1), Knowledge (nature) +6(1), Perception +6(1), Profession (sailor) +6(1), Sense Motive +6(1), Sleight of Hand +6(1), Stealth +9(4), Survival +8(3), Swim +10(3).

Languages: Common, Giant

Gear: Explorer's Outfit, Studded Leather Armor, studded leather mask, masterwork greatsword, Belt with a permanent light cantrip on the buckle, Backpack with 100' hemp rope, bedroll, climbers kit, healers kit, thieves tools, 2 weeks trail rations, flint & steel, 12 candles, 10 iron spikes and a hammer.

Notes: Favored class ranger bonus added to hit points, going for horizon walker prestige class.

Nip Pirthless rogue (burglar)/druid 3/1

Neutral Good male human

5"3" 117 pounds, blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin

Str 12

Dex 20

Con 14

Int 10

Wis 14

Cha 10

AC 17 HP 26

Fort +5 | Ref +8 | Will +2

BAB +2

Heavy Repeating Crossbow (heirloom) +9 1d10

Rapier +3 1d6+1

Traits: Bandit (+1 stealth), Heirloom Weapon (heavy repeating crossbow).

Feats: Stealthy, Skill Focus (Stealth), Exotic Weapon Pro (heavy repeating crossbow), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot.

Flaw: Emo

Rogue Talent: Fast Stealth.

Skills (ranks): Acrobatics +12(4), Climb +10(4), Disable Device +12(4), Escape Artist +14(4), Heal +6(1), Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7(4), Perception +9(4), Profession (herbalist) +7(2), Sleight of Hand +11(3), Stealth +18(4), Survival +6(1), Swim +5(1).

Languages: Common

Gear: black Explorer's Outfit, black Studded Leather Armor, Rapier, loaded Heavy Repeating Crossbow (heirloom), 2 clips (of 5 bolts each) on belt, Backpack with 100' hemp rope, bedroll, climbers kit, masterwork thieves tools, 8 clips (of 5 bolts each), 2 weeks trail rations, flint & steel, 12 candles, 4 darkflares, bottle of fine wine.

Notes: Favored class rogue bonus added to skill points, animal companion is a mellow badger named Tuck. 2 more levels of druid, horizon walker 1, then nature warden prestige class.

The Axe rogue (poisoner)/fighter(weapon master) 1/3

Chaotic Neutral male human

5'8" 147 pounds, black hair, blue eyes, light skin

Str 16

Dex 18

Con 15

Int 10

Wis 10

Cha 10

AC 18 HP 43

Fort +5 | Ref +7 | Will +1

BAB +3

Greataxe +6 1d12+7

Throwing Axe +8 (+7 thrown) 1d6+6 (1d6+4 thrown)

throwing axe in each hand +6/+5

Traits: Highlander (+1 stealth), Dirty Fighter (+1 damage when flanking)

Feats: Dodge, Endurance, Diehard, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (handaxe), Power Attack, Furious Focus.

Poison Use: cannot accidentally poison himself when applying poison to a blade.

Weapon Master: +1 to Hit and Damage with throwing axes.

Flaw: One Eye

Skills (ranks): Acrobatics +8(1), Climb +10(4), Craft (poisons) +4(1), Disable Device +8(1), Escape Artist +8(1), Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7(4), Linguistics +4(1), Stealth +12(4), Swim +7(1).

Languages: Common, Goblin

Gear: Studded Leather Armor, Explorer's Outfit, Greataxe, 6 throwing axes, belt pouch containing 10 pounds of salt, everburning torch, Backpack with 100' hemp rope, climbers kit, bedroll, 2 weeks trail rations, flint & steel, 12 candles, wooden holy symbol of Thremyr.

Notes: Favored class fighter bonus added to hit points, going for shadowdancer prestige class after another level of fighter.

The ogre king's minions would've mopped the floor with the party if they had gone in looking for a straight up fight but a party sent from from the thieves guild (ogre's perception of +5 vs rogue's stealth of +18) made the difference. With just average rolls and no botched stealth checks the party slaughtered the unsuspecting ogres wherever they met them.

Jim's Confabulation Campaign at 8th level!

A week of successful stealth checks and ambushes finally purged the last of the ogres and goblins from the ruins. Following a map found in the witch doctors lair they began their journey back to the surface.

Ho Tic rogue (acrobat)/sorcerer/fighter/dragon disciple 2/1/2/3

Zar Findom rogue/ranger(guide)/horizon walker 3/3/2

Nip Pirthless rogue (burglar)/druid/horizon walker/nature warden 3/3/1/1

The Axe rogue (poisoner)/fighter (weapon master)/shadowdancer 1/4/3

Jim's Confabulation Campaign at 12th level!

Having finally made it back to surface the party found their guild infiltrated by drow cultists. Betrayed and captured, the party managed to escape their prison cells and fight their way out. After a month of hiding, guerrilla warfare and gathering intelligence the cultists were defeated and fled back into the darklands. Having been less than subtle the party's heavy handed methods had dispatched both the innocent and guilty and now they were no longer welcome in the city, much less the thieves guild. Given a day to leave town the party descended back into the ruins beneath the city with vengeance in their hearts.

Ho Tic rogue (acrobat)/sorcerer/fighter/dragon disciple 2/1/2/7

Zar Findom rogue/ranger(guide)/horizon walker 3/3/6

Nip Pirthless rogue (burglar)/druid/horizon walker/nature warden 3/3/3/3

The Axe rogue (poisoner)/fighter (weapon master)/shadowdancer 1/4/7

Jim's Confabulation Campaign at 16th level!

The party tracked down and finished off the last of the drow cultists and their outsider masters from beyond. Having become freaks of shadow and dragon blood the surface world no longer held any attraction to the party and they settled in the outpost with the 23 drow widows and the newly orphaned drow children.

Ho Tic rogue (acrobat)/sorcerer/fighter/dragon disciple 3/1/2/10

Zar Findom rogue/ranger(guide)/horizon walker 3/3/10

Nip Pirthless rogue (burglar)/druid/horizon walker/nature warden/shadowdancer 3/3/3/3/4

The Axe rogue (poisoner)/fighter (weapon master)/shadowdancer/ranger(guide) 1/4/10/1

Jim's Confabulation Campaign at 20th level!

Two decades passed with no serious threats beyond a few dozen poisoning attempts from the witches of Ho Tic's harem and the occasional poorly executed ambush from The Axe's children. And after defeating the triad of duergar thrallherd liches and their unwashed hordes of abyssal gibberling ghouls peace reigns once again in the western darklands under the partys iron fisted rule. Zar, Nip and The Axe have 120' darkvision and can soundlessly step from shadow to shadow, Ho has 60' blindsense and not even the sneakiest drow dissident has a chance. The oldest of their half-drow bastards have become adventurers themselves.

Ho Tic rogue (acrobat)/sorcerer/fighter/dragon disciple/eldritch knight 3/1/2/10/4

Zar Findom rogue/ranger(guide)/horizon walker/shadowdancer 3/3/10/4

Nip Pirthless rogue (burglar)/druid/horizon walker/nature warden/shadowdancer 3/3/3/7/4

The Axe rogue (poisoner)/fighter (weapon master)/shadowdancer/ranger(guide)/horizon walker 1/4/10/2/3

Now if you read all that and think its cool, then you should read the real stories I stole them from

http://www.angelfire.com/trek/caver/

http://blackpigeonpress.com/archives/353