 |
| Gillard ready for action |
…
“Let’s just charge the buggers” yelled Bear [Ian].
Gillard [Kevin] grunted, wiped the sticky strands of
Marmalade off her chin, and leaped up clutching her little swords. “Charge! …
Charge who?” she yelled.
The whole party split up into two groups, one in the left-hand passage and one in the right-hand passage. We all formed up into two columns, the first burst forth from the left-hand passage into the large river chamber with Bear [Ian] in the lead, his large shield held out in front of him, with Gillard [Kevin], Ouzo [Darryl], and Oliver [me, Jeff] in a file behind him. The second group, consisting of Tu [Shane] with his shield up, and with Dexter [Jamie], Scuttle [Chris], and Myrtle [Andrew] right behind, simultaneously burst forth from the right-hand tunnel.
 |
| Debbie plays her flute |
Both columns charged across the cavern towards the stream.
The stream was cut down into the stone floor of the large
stone chamber. It flowed left to right across our path, and the sound of its rushing
waters echoing into the darkness. Two small logs lay across the stream, roughly
in line with the two passages we were charging out from and landing on the far
side where a relatively low rough stone wall extended left and right in front
of us.
A long row of small heads was arrayed behind the stone wall,
and a flurry of small arrows sprang up and floated across the stream towards Bear
[Ian] and Tu [Shane] and bounced harmlessly off their shields. Bear
and Tu charged towards the stream and prepared to leap straight across, while
the rest of us followed.
Beyond the stone wall, the cavern extended back into the
gloom to where a flickering fire could be seen, a roasting spit sitting above
the flames, containing a small humanoid shape. Somewhere out of the darkness
ahead a guttural chanting could be briefly heard.
“Oh shit” muttered Bear [Ian] and then an area of the
cavern to the right of the fire plunged into even deeper darkness.
 |
| Myrtle of the shapely thighs |
Bear [Ian] and Tu [Shane] both leapt over the stream
and wall in a single bound and started laying about with their swords.
Dexter [Jamie] was right behind them but took another arrow in the chest
as he mounted the top of the wall and dropped to the ground on the other side,
unconscious. Scuttle [Chris] had to flank right around the end of the
wall as he couldn’t get over it quickly, and Myrtle [Andrew] leapt the
wall just behind Dexter [Jamie] and dropped into a crouch beside him to
give aid. Tiny Gillard [Kevin] had to take two precarious steps along
the left-hand log, and then flank left around the end of the stone wall. There
was no way she could climb or jump that height!
 |
| Kobold Shaman |
Just then a bizarrely dressed Kobold stepped out of the
darkness beyond the wall and let fly a Magic Missile that struck Ouzo [Darryl]
in the forehead just as he was about to cross the stream. I [Oliver, Jeff]
was directly behind Ouzo [Darryl] and saw it all happen. I let fly my
own Magic Missile straight back at the creature, and he stumbled and retreated back
into the darkness. That’ll teach him!
Then we were all behind the wall and engaged in fierce
battle. Ouzo [Darryl] slipped along the cavern wall and disappeared into
the darkness in hunt of the Kobold Shaman. Gillard [Kevin] and her tiny
blades slammed into two of the fierce Kobolds, laying about left and right and dealing
damage, but taking mighty hits from the creatures in return. Bear [Ian] held
three of the creatures at bay with his long swords, but they somehow used their
diminutive size to get the advantage over him and he was soon bleeding from a
handful of cuts around his legs. His mighty blows either swept above the heads
of the tiny Kobolds or bounced off their plain leather armour. Tu [Shane]
stepped in front of two of the creatures and was soon forcing them back away
from the main group. Myrtle [Andrew] cast a “Cure Light Wounds” miracle
on Dexter [Jamie], and he was able to leap back into the fray.
From my spot just on the other side of the wall I cast a
second Magic Missile that felled one of the Kobolds, while Scuttle [Chris]
slipped quietly around the end of the wall and appeared behind one of the Kobolds,
dagger in hand for a surprise “Sneak Attack”. I managed to fire off another
“Magic Missile” and dropped one of the Kobolds, but they were looking like a
very hardy bunch of creatures indeed.
Things were not going well. Bear [Ian] was bleeding
from multiple wounds, Gillard [Kevin] took another hit and dropped to
the ground, I [Oliver, Jeff] got slashed across the thigh, although Myrtle
[Andrew] then cast a “Cure Light Wounds” on me, and I managed to fire
off my last Magic Missile. Unfortunately, it must have been a bit of a fizzer
as the creature kept advancing towards me, until Tu [Shane] leapt in
front of it and distracted it.
I was out of spells and retreated to see where Debbie [Stephen]
was and why she wasn’t using her spells to actually help us. Myrtle [Andrew]
rushed across to cast her last “Cure Light Wounds” on Bear [Ian] who had
just taken a very nasty slash to the arm, effectively disabling him temporarily
[critical hit, -2 on defence and attack, broken limb]. The Kobold Shaman
again stepped out of the darkness and let fly another “Magic Missile” that
struck Scuttle [Chris] in the forehead and knocked him back, although he
manged to remain standing and continue fighting the Kobolds. In the magical darkness
the sounds of Ouzo [Darryl] thrashing about trying to hit the Shaman who
was no longer there, were echoing off the rear of the cavern.
I found Debbie [Stephen] , still in the entrance
passage playing her flute and singing her spell, quite ineffectively
as no one could hear it. “Huh, where is everyone?” she asked.
I dragged her out of the passage and across to the stream so the actual
fighters could hear her.
Perhaps this turned the tide of the battle, as Kobolds
started to drop more frequently, although Dexter [Jamie] and Gillard [Kevin]
were both unconscious at that stage. Scuttle [Chris] was like a little
whirlwind and took out the last Kobold with a “Surprise Attack” that left his
dagger punched right through its throat from back to front. “That’s two to me”
he triumphantly proclaimed. Ouzo [Darryl] staggered back from where the
darkness had disappeared when the Shaman had finally been felled.
“Oh God” whispered Tu, “It is young Fletch on this spit”
 |
| Kobold Spell Book |
Ouzo [Darryl] cleaned off the Shaman’s skull and
loaded it into his pack.
Bear [Ian] sharpened his swords. “Useless things” he mumbled “They were
only tiny Kobolds …”
In the morning we rose before light, ate a quick breakfast, gathered
up all the dead Kobolds and retrieved their ears as tokens of our success, and
set out at light to head on to the Coultard farm.
The journey was uneventful and around the middle of the
afternoon we took a side track off the main path and soon spotted the farmhouse
just ahead. It was a two-storey place, pretty tired looking, with the front
door visible and closed. We halted on the track with the farmhouse in view
while Dexter [Jamie] strode down the track with Scuttle [Chris] and
Ouzo [Darryl] also drifting forward under cover of the trees, one to
each side of the track. Dexter [Jamie] approached the front door and
disappeared inside. The other two were out of sight, presumably scouting around
the rear of the property.
Pretty soon Ouzo [Darryl] appeared around the side of
the house and waved us forward.
 |
| Ye Olde Well |
When we got there, he reported “A couple of old sheds around the back, overgrown gardens, and a well with pully and rope but no bucket”
Dexter [Jamie] said there was fire damage to the upstairs
and it was pretty unstable, the cellar was clear, and the place appeared empty
and unoccupied.
Mrs Coultard, Malinda, wanted to get the burial services completed
as soon as possible so we all headed out to the graveyard and dug two small graves.
The urn went into one, and the wrapped Fletch into the other. Everyone tossed
in some dirt, Myrtle [Andrew] invoked the blessing of VINGT-ET-UN and
said a few appropriate words. Bear [Ian] found a shovel and quickly
filled in the graves and then we all retreated back to the house.
We brought the horses into the house too, pulled the door
closed, ate a hearty supper, set our watches, and settled in for the night.
During the midnight watch (Myrtle [Andrew], Bear [Ian],
and Ouzo [Darryl]) Malinda, who hadn’t been sleeping well, asked if she
might pop down into the cellar to search for a few family mementos that had
been left here when they originally fled all those years ago. Ouzo [Darryl]
escorted her down to the cellar and she rummaged around in the debris for an
hour or so.
In the morning we were preparing to leave when Ouzo [Darryl]
rushed in from outside in an agitated state. “Hey, the rope, the rope, it’s
gone! Did any of you take it off the pully?”
Sure enough, the rope that had been tied to the pully over
the well was no longer there. We all peered into the well and Myrtle [Andrew]
cast a “Light” miracle onto a rock and dropped it in. “Splash” about 30’ down,
no sign of any rope, bucket, or anything amiss. Myrtle [Andrew] looked
around at the party with a raised eyebrow.
“I can’t fit down that skinny well” stated Bear [Ian].
“I certainly aren’t climbing down there” said Ouzo [Darryl], “either
there is nothing there and it’ll be a waste of effort, or there is something
there and it’ll get me. So, sod off”
“Drop me down on a rope” volunteered Gillard [Kevin].
Bear [Ian] quickly tested the rope, grabbed one end,
and lowered Gillard [Kevin] slowly down into the well, before she
changed her mind. Suddenly there was a violent yank on the rope and Bear [Ian]
reared back with a yell. “Gillard, you OK? What was that? … GILLARD ”
No reply.
He yanked up the rope, about 15’ of it, to find nothing but
a frayed end.
Myrtle [Andrew] cast another “Light” spell on a small
branch, and it was lowered slowly down the well to about 15’ depth. Now we
could see that there was a large 2m diameter opening in the wall of the well at
that depth, that led off in the direction of the farmhouse.
“What do you know of this?” Tu [Shane] demanded of
Melinda.
“Nothing. There was no problem with the well when we left”
she breathlessly replied.
“The cellar” yelled Scuttle [Chris], “It’s about that
depth, and in that direction. Let’s go!”
Ouzo [Darryl] stayed outside to watch the well while
the rest of us hurried inside and down into the cellar. Bear [Ian] banged
on the cellar wall on the appropriate side and sure enough, it sounded wooden
and hollow. “Nothing?” Tu [Shane] questioned Melinda.
“Well, my husband did make an old storeroom somewhere here”
she replied, “but I never came down here”. “Hummff” grunted Tu [Shane].
Bear [Ian] spent a few seconds poking and pulling on
the wall and then with a curse he just threw himself at the wall and crashed
through into a small chamber. [Successful bend bars/lift gates (BBLG) roll]
The chamber had some dusty barrels and crates, but no other
doors or tunnels leading away.
Bear [Ian] rushed over to the far wall and thumped on
it. “Hollow” he shouted, then backed up, and rammed straight into it again. But
bounced back with a grunt. [Failed BBLG roll]
Bear [Ian] rubbed his shoulder, thrust out his hand
toward the rest of the party and yelled “Hammer, Axe, or anything sturdy, and
be quick about it”.
Dexter [Jamie] was quickly back with a heavy rusty-headed
sledgehammer which he thrust into Bear’s {Ian] outstretched hand. It was
only a few minutes of swinging the sledgehammer into the old wall before Bear [Ian]
broke through into a large, dark, and very stinky cavern. He passed the
sledgehammer back, drew his sword and shield, and peered through the opening
into the darkness beyond.
 |
| Gillard? |
Bear [Ian] cautiously stepped into the dark cavern
and looked around, Myrtle [Andrew] right behind him and Scuttle [Chris]
with the lantern beside her. Almost immediately Bear [Ian] heard a noise
from above and peered upward.
A giant spider dropped down just in front of him and began
attacking, its huge mandibles crunching onto Bear’s [Ian] sword arm.
“Owwww” he yelled, “but I’m OK”
 |
| Giant Spider drops on Bear |
After a few rounds Bear [Ian] groaned and complained
of feeling dizzy and slow.
Myrtle [Andrew] muttered about poisons and cast her
“Slow Poison” miracle.
“Ah, better” grunted Bear [Ian] as he thrust his sword at the spider
again.
The battle went on for what felt like hours but was probably
just a few minutes. Myrtle [Andrew] stepped back with a curse “No more
spells, good luck” she whispered. Bear [Ian] valiantly battled on, but
was soon feeling woozy and weak again. As he was about to stagger back, he
struck a mighty blow [critical hit, avoiding armour] and the spider
collapsed to the ground. None too soon either as he then toppled backwards,
nearly crushing Scuttle [Chris] on the way down and lay stiff as a board and
unresponsive on the floor, his legs still protruding out into the spider cavern.
We quickly dragged him back into the second hidden room and Tu
[Shane] peered through the opening past the giant spider’s body. “Um,
there is still movement up there in those webs around the roof” he said, “how
about we just burn them out?”
“No!” yelled Scuttle [Chris] “you’ll burn poor Gillard as
well. Just run in and rescue him!”
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