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Turn 21: In the Lady's Chambers

Chapter 1: A Darkness Gathering

Turn 21: In the Lady’s Chambers

 

Date: 6 Lipanj (“Wealsun”), 592
Location: Hommlet, The Viscounty of Verbobonc
Players: Danton Verbrugge (Rogue 3)
  Nanoc (Barbarian 3)
  Telemachos Rhavelle (Fighter 3)
Associates: Erky Timbers (Fighter 1/Cleric 2)
   
Date: 25 Svibanj (“Flocktime”), 592
Location: Sunless Citadel, The Viscounty of Verbobonc
Players: Mauser Gregorus (Cleric 3)

Mauser waited the last few minutes for his invisibility to expire, thinking and planning furiously as the seconds and minutes passed by. By the time he could see his hands and body again, he had made his decision and he quickly implemented it. First the cleric’s face and body changed as he transformed into the best imitation of an Oakhurst peasant he could muster. Mauser then changed his clothing to match the new persona, retaining only his armor, and stuffed his shield, holy symbol and morningstar into his pack, removing his mace to use in place of the latter. Judging his long quarterstaff to be far too easily associated with Mauser Gregorus, the cleric broke it over his knee and then hid the remnants behind the crude ‘throne’ the former goblin leader had used. Finally, Mauser took a quick inventory of his food and other supplies and then settled down to wait.

The sound of kobolds piling up additional rubble on the far side of the two doors to the chamber continued for nearly two hours, but it was the possibility of sounds from below that interested Mauser. The cleric listened and looked carefully for any sign that Jil and her associates might have returned to the chamber below or be climbing back up the shaft, but by the time the kobolds finally finished their work, Mauser had neither seen nor heard any sign of activity from below.

Drawing a deep breath, the cleric climbed back down the shaft once more (climb: 8-3=5). As he descended, Mauser intentionally scraped his arms and legs on vines and stone and did his best to ensure that his clothing was rumpled and torn by the time he reached the bottom and dropped onto the soft ground below. He once again stood silently, listening for any sign of activity (listen: 7+4=11), but heard nothing. As far as the cleric could tell in the dim light provided by the glowing lichens and plants, nothing had changed in the garden chamber since he had last been here several hours earlier.

His decision made, Mauser cast one last glance back down the hallway towards the rift where he had left Jil and the others with the fire worms. He then turned and strode the opposite direction, not looking back again. When the light grew faint in the next chamber, the cavern once inhabited by the huge goblin and his pet rats, Mauser withdrew and lit the first of his torches and then plunged onward. As he strode into what he was now certain was an entrance to the legendary Underdark, the light of the torch seemed to flicker and fade against the oppressive darkness that closed in around him.

***

After taking a short rest, Danton went in search of Nanoc and Telemachos once more. He found the duo in the Furyondian’s room, from which emerged raucous laughter.

“Thank you, Nanoc,” came Telemachos’ voice, “I don't think that I have laughed that loud since my father was lost at sea! And I don't think that I have ever seen anyone so frustrated before. There was this time when a captain of mine, Bardar, simply could not score a point on this young fighter who was a genius with the sword - of course, that was a different kind of frustration! But perhaps Danton need not worry, perhaps some hobgoblin maidens will be susceptible to his charms in the Temple of Elemental Evil!”

Immediately stung, Danton burst through the door to Telemachos’ room, which was not locked.

“Good Telemachos!” he all but shouted. “Hath you nothing constructive to say? Are Furyondians truly as churlish as yourself? ‘Bard’ this, and ‘bard’ that! Here in Hommlet, we are -- or perhaps were -- pursuing an angle virtually solely of interest to you: discovering whether your uncle suffer from mere dementia or an incantation most foul. In sooth, I see not how it profit me to learn the answer, whichever it is. Against mine own numerous instructions to Nanoc, I wast looking after a charity case. Yet, your tongue never ceases to cut. Pay attention, Nanoc, for herein you wilt see where the charitable impulse leads: to ingrates or grifters.”

Telemachos lay back on his bead with his arms folded behind his head, while Nanoc sat heavily on a stout chair at the sole wooden table in the room. Both men looked stunned at Danton’s tirade.

”For all your jibes, Telemachos,” continued the Velunese, “methinks the last several days in Hommlet proveth that I am the master at gaining information. And if your path leads into this foul Temple or moathouse, which methinks likely, I am also the most expert amongst us at unlocking doors and finding traps and other such trickery. But if you prefereth insults to comradeship, you can find your own information and unlock your own doors henceforth, while I shall turn my own focus where it should have been all along: on that which profits me.”

“Goodness, gracious!” said Telemachos, sitting up and putting his feet on the floor. “I see now how a woman can drive a man to a frothing, rabid wolf. Calm down and take a good jest, Danton. We're in this together, and you can have the woman. Mayhap we should buy you some companionship for the evening to release a little of your tension. Jeesh!”

”By the way,” added the soldier, “my sword hath protected that thin neck of yours many a time already, but who's counting? I thought we were in this together, even if our goals may in the end be somewhat different.”

“Whether the woman goes to this man or that truly is of no concern of mine,” said Danton, truly shouting now. “Indeed, for me, with my heart dedicated to my Vanessa, this Aseneth would merely be a temporary dalliance. If there is among you a more permanent desire for her, then I'd gladly step aside. And if I want woman and desire to pay for her, I have coin enough and needeth no donation.

Nay, Telemachos, 'tis not the wench that plagues me. 'Tis the repeated comments about ‘hey, bard, this’ or ‘hey, bard, that.’ I am no bard ... though, honestly, I respect their craft well enough. At least the good ones....Neither, as you point out correctly, am I a swordsman. Without hesitation or sting of pride, I admit that I likely could not have lasted a quarter hour in that vile citadel without your sword, Nanoc's axe and Mauser's magicks. So, you need not remind me of your talents. I am well aware of them. As for me, I am neither bard nor warrior, yet I respecteth both. Rather, I am a gatherer of information, a learner of secrets, and a sneak unlooked for. I suppose that, especially for a proud soldier of noble heritage such as yourself, mine talents are less worthy.”

While Nanoc sat on in stunned silence, gazing back and forth between Telemachos and Danton almost as if he were attending some sort of athletic competition, the Velunese continued:


”Perhaps I must earn your respect. If mine performance in the citadel hath not yet earned it, 'tis fair enough. There will be more opportunity, I am sure, to prove my mettle. Now, I've had my say, and I'll let the matter drop. You are, after all, indisputably correct about at least one thing, good Telemachos: we are together at this point and must work together ... or risk seeing all of our respective ambitions fail. Therefore, I shall do my best -- though whither to success or failure, only the gods may augur.”

Telemachos held up his hands in a placating gesture.

“Good friend,” he said, “my heart is rent as much as it can be for a newly acquired comrade. Indeed, if my jests, intended as insults or otherwise, hath stung you, I am sorry. You hath already earned my respect for someone who is skilled in different arts than I. 'Tis the same in Furyondy, where soldiers of different units are utilized for their different talents and yet an essential part of the whole.

As for our current situation, yes, I thank you for the information that you have helped me acquire - not that I have been exactly sitting on my hands enjoying the awful chants of that real ‘bard.’ As for the woman, I don't think you need worry about a lost opportunity. My guess is that she would have been just as elusive about your questions whether we broke up your little tete-a-tete or not. We obviously agree that she is not to be trusted and may simply be using us as expendable canon-fodder for her own gain or truly intends us harm. We can try to question her further if you think it will do us any good - my way of thinking is that it probably won't. Although I am very interested in the possibility that she may have very important information for me, I am not going to be such a fool as to allow that to cloud my judgment.

As for her, she is most certainly a beauty. But my mission is not of the flesh but of blood. My father is the most important person in my life and my mission to find him consumes my thoughts and deeds. There will be time enough for marriage and those pleasures. If I don't find my father, all will matter naught anyway and my life will be forfeit to the gods. For me, a good pillow, a hot meal, cold ale, and some decent entertainment is enough to satisfy my longings. I think I once heard a friend say much the same thing not too long ago.”

With Nanoc still looking back and forth, Danton spoke again, his voice lower than it had been before:

“You speak correctly, Telemachos: the woman is not to be trusted. Neither do I distrust her, if you take my meaning. The jury is out, so to speak, and she helpeth not her case, as I judge it. I asked her exactly what she sought in the Temple or moathouse, and she responded by unfurling a map and pointing out cartographic details. In nowise has she been open and forthcoming. The only details we received from her were regarding a map which we all three can read equally well on our own.

I think that you are further correct in that questioning the wench may not avail us much. I suppose we could put the questions directly and insist continuously on each answer in sufficient detail ... lest we take our services elsewhere. After all, she needeth us at least as much as we needeth her. For all this, however, I suspect you are right: she might resist giving straight answers ... or might merely lie if she thought it served her purposes. So, if we have questions, why ask her? Why not look where a more fruitful answer can be found?”

“What do you propose?” asked Telemachos.

”To begin,” replied Danton, finally speaking in his normal voice, “we could ask about Hommlet, though I suspect we will learn little. Her visual charms will likely be the subject of most knowledge that we gain. So if we can't ask her, and others will know little of value, then what? Well, if my skills are as good as I advertise, I must be able to find another way. Why not have Nanoc serve as a distraction for the maiden ... whilst I rifle her room, looking for more than lingerie? P'raps there are some clues as to Aseneth amongst her belongings. P'raps not, but it might be worth a look. After all, if we don't find some independent information on her by one means or another, I think we might have to leave her to her own business and be about our own.

Beyond the wench, we've received what seems a reliable history of the Temple and moathouse. Aseneth wants to explore the Temple, moathouse and the ruined town of Nulb. Elmo and Xaod both confirmed that only hobgoblins liveth in the temple ruins. 'Tis possible that both are lying, but, at this point, that seemeth unlikely. We have heard that Spugnoir hath gone into the moathouse dungeon and not returned, and Redithidoor hath speculated that such dungeon be occupied by undead. The moathouse lieth to the east of Hommlet ... roughly along the same path, if I judge correctly, that Jaroo's bear Tanak hath wandered two weeks ago. However, Chaltrilon claimeth that the Temple is the better place -- to clear out hobgoblins and aid Hommlet, at least the man shows his true interest on this point, -- and the moathouse is deserted and empty.”

”In short,” summed up Danton, “we have conflicting information, though most seem to agree that we will likely only find hobgoblins in the Temple. The moathouse, it seemeth to me, is our best bet. I am not here to aid the people of Hommlet, at least not for goodly payment. Rather, we are here to rest and to await Mauser ... and to look into this mystery surrounding Uncle Jaroo. For my money, as things presently stand, I am inclined to take Redithidoor up on his offer. I don't necessary trust him, either, but he seems to be a known commodity in Hommlet, and we could probably find some people -- Elmo or the Cuthberthian clergy -- to vouch for or 'gainst him.”

”I…encourage you to do your thing,” said Telemachos. “You are no story-singing bard, so go be a . . . thief . . . rogue . . . whatever it is that you prefer to call yourself. Your skills certainly will come in handy now. Just don't get caught. Is that a slogan in your profession?”

“Any thoughts on Redithidoor or Mauser?” asked Danton. “Also, moathouse versus Temple? Or do we want to hold off on all such things until we've gleaned what we can regarding Aseneth?”

Danton paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and added, “One final thing. Though I thank you for laying off on the ‘bard’ jesting, p'raps 'tis good at this point to apologize a bit sheepishly on my part. If my pride seemeth wounded excessively, 'tis probably because it hath been wounded somewhat ... but, in truth, not by you, noble Telemachos. Rather, my current straits -- in which I am left without either country or betrothed -- is related somewhat to the fact that my own ... skills ... and political and personal stature hath been ignored back in Veluna. To speak more clearly, I am convinced that, had I been a warrior and not a spy, I'd still have both my profession and my girl. But, as it happens, I have neither, with limited prospects of turning the tables.

With all this as baggage, I hath reacted irrationally to ‘your bard’ jests, though I know they were meant only in the spirit of comradeship and fun, both of which I value. I do not consider myself a ‘rogue,’ yet I am considered this by some of my countrymen ... even as I fulfilled their missions and brought back the information they sought. 'Tis a grand irony, my life. P'raps my own pride disliketh the fact that I worked so hard at aiding mine countrymen, only to have my contributions ignored and to even suffer loss and ignominy to boot.

Regardless, be assured I carry no animosity of any sort with you, good Telemachos. I hath overreacted, 'tis clear to me, and for that I apologize. My quarrel is with my former taskmasters, who effectively used me and then left me out to dry because my profession is unloved, howevermuch its fruits are desired, and because, therefore, I am expendible to men of polite society.”

A scowl and look of disgust began to form on Nanoc’s face at this point, but neither Danton nor Telemachos noticed.

“Good friend, Danton,” said the Furyondian, “your humility and honesty does you credit as a man of honor. Do not feel shuned by ‘polite society’ for truly I count you as one of my friends. I know how you feel when you say you were a bit sensitive. I for one did not appreciate the jibes at my expense by my training captains. My father encouraged them to be twice as hard on me as on any of my classmates in the Academy, which was already bad. It made me harder and a better soldier and even at the time I understood what they were trying to do, but it doth stung nonetheless. Who knows? Maybe years from now, we will continue to be good friends and ‘bard’ will be my affectionate nickname for you. For now, it will simply be ‘Danton,’ or ‘friend.’

This last was too much for Nanoc. The half-orc shook his head and laughed. “Geesh...am I sittin' wit a couple o' women here? Since when the hell did we take things such as havin' good fun and callin' someone a name as an insult? Heck Danton I oughta pound ya into the ground then for all them times ya called me stinky and bitched 'bout my bedroll and what not. Next thing I know you twos will be a kissin' and make'n up. If that happens I'm outta here!”

“Now as fer the rest o’ this discussion,” continued the barbarian, “I thinks Aseneth is just fine, why I don't see no how any women that fine could have a lick o' bad in her. We don't needs ta be sneakin' round no-ones room. Heck lets just ask her for more details. I spose if you two is that uncomfortable it won't hurt none, but Danton you gotta promise me ya won't take nothin' no matter how nice it seems.

She is a good girl from the east. I know those folk after all: Grundar is a Frutzi barbarian and Justin, Wigam, and Twilian were from Nyrond. Her talk don't sound quite like theirs, but they gots accents too. I can talk to her and see if she been ta any o' those places—I’d love ta hear stories 'bout 'em. Besides, I could tell she ain't interested in no boys that get their bloomers in a bunch every time someone says somethin' a little hurtful. She wants a real man and after hearin' you guys a talkin', the only one here that fits that is good ol' Nanoc.”


”Now if we is gonna be invitin' peoples along wit us, ya know that Xaod is a real good guy. He drank me under the table an didn't even steal nothin'! Why I know he don't think much o' that temple, but he ain't been ta the other places. Of course if Mauser shows up, we oughta bring him along. I think these places is just the type he'd want ta see.”


”Methinks you're too soft on Aseneth,” replied Danton, “and you have been taken in by her charms and mealy accent, but I am glad you agree to my poking about in her chamber. You should know by now, my boy, that I am no petty thief, slavering to make off with a woman's baubles or privies. I shall endeavor to leave Aseneth's room altogether untouched and unplundered, though if some incriminating item shows itself, I may pilfer it.”

”If you want to bring Xaod along,” mused Danton, “I'm not wholly against the idea. 'Twould seem that the man hath been in the Hommlet area for a while. So, as with Redithidoor, there should be some information on him amongst the locals. If his character checks out, as with Redithidoor, we can bring both on board for a trip to the moathouse. But, see here, Nanoc: do not be so quick to trust someone who merely fails to rob you of your changepurse. A skilled confidence man readily passes on stealing pocket money in lieu of establishing trust with his target and thereby setting up a more profitable betrayal. Remember: trust not until the evidence supports it!”

***

Tavern tales and scholarly tomes across Oerth’s surface whispered of the Underdark, a lightless subterranean realm that was home to fabled races, creatures of nightmare, and ancient, unspeakable evils. It was a world unto itself, an ancient world filled with races that were old long before the first humans walked the world above. So dire was the reputation of the place that mothers in Greyhawk used it to caution their children to behave, lest the creatures of the dark steal them away forever. Most feared of all were the dark elves, the drow, who were said to live in great underground cities, where they plotted the downfall of the surface world and engaged in all manner of unspeakable practices, making victims of all who had the misfortune to encounter them.

This was the world into which Mauser now walked alone. The cleric had long imagined that one day when he grew truly powerful, he and his associates might delve into the dark in search of lost artifacts of ancient power. He had not intended to be trapped alone in the place, desperately searching for a means of escape before his food, water, and light ran out.

From his readings, Mauser knew that there were different levels to the Underdark, and that the deeper one went, the greater the magnitude of the dangers to be confronted. The cleric knew that his only hope lay in staying near to the surface and finding a way out before he drew the attention of any of the Underdark’s denizens.

For most of the first day, Mauser traveled through a winding, narrow passage that ran gradually to the south and east, as best he could tell. After hours of travel, the passage split. Without the slightest idea with path to take, the cleric turned to what he thought was the north. Not long thereafter, his first torch spluttered out, and he lit a second one. Some time thereafter, the passage widened into a long, narrow cave with a pool of water at its center. The cave ran for nearly a mile before narrowing into a five-foot wide passage once again.

When his second torch ran out, Mauser sat, meditated, and then fumbled about as he ate a cold meal in utter darkness. Exhausted, the cleric then collapsed into a fitful sleep.

***

When Aseneth did not make an appearance at dinner, Telemachos retired to his room for the evening while Nanoc walked the streets of Hommlet, talking to everyone he met and trying to get more of a feel for the town. As for Danton, he did what he did best, digging up information. Spending the evening in the common room and chatting with everyone he could, the Velunese focused on learning as much as possible about two of the party’s potential traveling companions: Xaod the Slayer and Redithidoor Halfmoon (Gather Information: 1+ 7=8, 19+7=26).

When it came to Xaod, either there was little to be learned, or Danton was talking to the wrong people. Those who claimed to know him, or at least to have encountered him, described Xaod as crude, loud and boorish. He had a reputation of being something of a drunkard, but also a very dangerous fighter. After he had incapacitated a half-dozen locals who picked a fight with him in Terrigans not long after he had arrived in town, nearly killing three of them, everyone gave him a wide berth. The stories of Xaod going alone to the old temple only reinforced his reckless and dangerous reputation.

Redithidoor was a much more widely known figure. Although universally regarded as a terrible, utterly incompetent bard, everyone knew him well from his regular performances at the Welcome Wench and in the town square. Vesta Gundigoot, the young woman who ran the Wench for her father, admitted to Danton that her allowing of Redithidoor to perform at the inn was really charity, while Chatrilon Unosh told Danton he would be ‘crazy’ to go anywhere with the bard or believe his tales about the moathouse. No one Danton spoke to could vouch for any adventuring skills whatsoever on the part of Redithidoor. As he watched the bard across the room go through yet another terrible performance with his lute, Danton could not help wonder whether Redithidoor’s critics were correct about his adventuring abilities as they clearly were about his musical skills.

When Danton, Nanoc and Telemachos finally encountered Aseneth again at breakfast the following morning, the trio implemented the next phase of their information-gathering plan. Today Aseneth wore a sleeveless, high-collared blue dress emblazoned with stylized silver dragons—the first time that anyone in the party had seen her in anything other than black. Danton and Telemachos recognized the material as silk, while Nanoc was merely enthralled by the way it shimmered.

After inviting themselves to sit down with the woman for the morning meal, during which time Nanoc dominated the conversation with stories of Grundar, Justin, Wigam, and Twilian, speaking with his mouth full all the while, Danton took his leave of the group, claiming other commitments required his attention.

“So, Aseneth,” said Nanoc as the serving staff cleared away the last of the plates and glasses, “we think we kin help ya out, but we need ya ta go and check out Tel's uncle first. Tel and I could take ya out there right now. Danton’s off recruitin’ a couple o’ others for the trip, an’ if we go talk to the leatherworker and smithy on the way ta see Jaroo, we can take care o’ all sorts o’ things today an’ be ready ta hit the road that much sooner.”

“This is being…acceptable,” replied Aseneth. “Time is going and I do wish to be finding things…not finding here at inn.”

“Great!” said Telemachos, “and on the way, I can tell you all about my father and his exploits in the Furyondian Royal Navy!”

With the woman in tow, Nanoc and Telemachos left the inn, walking as slowly and in as roundabout a way as they possibly could. Standing at the window of his room on the second floor, Danton watched the trio until they were out of sight. Then he set to work.

***

Mauser awoke with a start when he heard the voices. The cleric had no idea how long he had slept, but his back ached from the discomfort of sleeping on rock while wearing armor. So exhausted had he been, that it had never occurred to him to use his bedroll or remove his protective equipment, but now that oversight offered dividends: within seconds, the cleric was on his feet with his pack on his shoulders.

Glancing about in the darkness, Mauser saw a faint flickering orange light in one direction. Voices continued to echo off the rocks. As Mauser reached for a torch of his own, he recognized one of the voices…

“…find that two-timing bastard, I’ll cut him from head to toe and feed him to the bloody kobolds!”

It was the voice of the half-orc Eiger that echoed off the cavern walls. Some other, quieter, voice responded, but Mauser did not wait around to determine who it was. Instead he lit his torch and scrambled off in the opposite direction as quickly as his legs and the terrain would allow.

***

Having learned from one of the barmaids which room belonged to Aseneth, Danton waited until the upstairs hallway was free of both guests and inn staff and then darted out of his room and down the hall to the chamber occupied by the eastern woman. After the traps, locks, and puzzles of the Sunless Citadel, the lock on the door of Aseneth’s room was a simple affair (open lock: 9+8=17: success), and Danton was inside the woman’s room less than a minute after he left his own. He shut and locked the door behind him and then turned to the business at hand.

He began by rifling Aseneth’s closet, the bottom of which was filled with empty traveling chests and the top of which was filled with clothing. The latter consisted exclusively of dresses, robes and jackets, all of which were of the highest quality material and clearly foreign tailoring. The quality and exotic fashion was such that Danton might have been tempted to pilfer something as a gift for Vanessa upon his triumphant return to Veluna were it not for the fact that that Aseneth was a much taller woman and her clothes would never have fit his lost Velunese love.

Danton next searched the bed, removing sheets and mattresses in search of anything hidden underneath, but finding nothing. He then paused long enough to listen at the door and glance carefully out the window for any sign that Aseneth was returning. Seeing and hearing nothing untoward, he carefully remade the bed and turned to the desk and the two nightstands that stood next to it.

***

With Telemachos regaling Aseneth with stories of his father’s exploits on Whyestil Lake and the Nyr Dyv during the war with Iuz, the small group arrived first at the smithy, where Harris Karl confirmed that Telemachos’ splint mail would be ready for pickup the following morning. Thereafter, the group re-crossed the bridge over the Imeryds Run and passed by the Welcome Wench once again. As they passed the inn, Telemachos and Nanoc made particular effort to keep the woman fully distracted with their stories and Nanoc physically interposed his bulk between her and any view she might have of the place. Truth be told, however, the half-orc was more than a little distracted himself, amazed by both the way Aseneth moved and the way the blue of her dress somehow reflected the light even on this cloudy day.

Upon arrival at Naddy Tomanloft’s leatherworking shop, Telemachos and Aseneth waited outside while Nanoc went inside to find the gnome and inquire as to whether the refitting of his armor might be accelerated. When the half-orc offered to pay an additional twenty gold (out of the funds set aside for Mauser), the gnome told him the armor would be ready in forty-eight hours. Catching the look of confusion on Nanoc’s face, she clarified that this meant two days. Then, having spotted Aseneth and Telemachos through one of the shop windows, the gnome motioned for Nanoc to lean over and she whispered into his ear:

“Don’t wanna be havin’ no truck with foreigners, do ya, boy? They ain’t like the folk o’ Verbobonc—good, honest folk. Why some slick easterner’ll snatch yer purse, stick a knife in yer back and sell yer soul before ya know what happened! You’ll listen to old Naddy an’ ditch that hussy right quick if ya know what’s good for ya!”

Annoyed, but not wanting to anger the gnome, at least until she completed his armor, Nanoc bit back any reply. Instead he took his leave and rejoined Telemachos and Aseneth for the last of the walk to the druid’s grove.

“Say, Nanoc, why don’t you tell Aseneth about your quest for a magical axe,” said Telemachos. “I’m sure she’d like to hear about that, and about how you and Danton met.”

Although Nanoc had wanted to ply Aseneth with questions of his own, the half-orc found the opportunity to regale and impress her with stories of his and Danton’s adventures impossible to resist, and it was he who did the talking all the way up the hill.

***

When Danton rifled the two nightstands in Aseneth’s room, he found nothing but women’s undergarments. Although some of these were exotic enough to bring distracting thoughts to mind, the Velunese forced himself to concentrate on more important matters. He replaced the bits of clothing and turned his attention to the desk, which appeared identical to the one in his room and those in the rooms of his two comrades.

Most of the drawers in the desk were either empty or contained nothing more than parchment and writing implements, but in the bottom of the largest drawer on the left side of the desk, Danton finally found what he was looking for—a large, ornate wooden box eight by twelve inches and nearly a foot deep. The box appeared closed and locked, and Danton was forced to lift it gingerly out of the drawer before he could examine it closely.

The box had been hand carved with pastoral scenes and then stained a dark brown. It had a hinged top and a metal lock on the front. Danton examined it carefully for any kind of trap (search: 10+9=19), but found nothing. Recognizing that this would be a greater challenge than picking the simple lock on the door, he set out his tools and went to work (open lock: 13+8=21). When the lock refused to budge, despite his best efforts, Danton cursed softly.

“Nanoc and Telemachos had best keep the lass occupied for a goodly time indeed, for the maker of this box knew his craft well…”

***
When Nanoc, Telemachos, and Aseneth arrived at the druids’ grove, they found Jaroo and Yundi engaged in a shouting match that had something to do with the quality of the oats that the apprentice had prepared for breakfast. While the older druid had generally been in a torpor when the party previously visited, now he was in a froth, shouting at Yundi and then at the newcomers. Telemachos tried to placate the old man, but to no avail.

“I don’t care if you’re my grand nephew or the grand vizier of Veluna!” shouted Jaroo. “This is my grove and no one sets foot in it without my say-so!”

While Nanoc and Telemachos tried their best to calm the old man, Aseneth performed a series of incantations. The sight of this seemed to anger Jaroo all the more, and he began ranting on a different subject:

“Ah hah hah! You want to steal my grove, so you bring some Aerdy witch to try to cloud my mind! Well it won’t work! As the great druid, I’m immune to her petty magics! Bwah hah hah!”

Several minutes later, Aseneth told Nanoc and Telemachos that her efforts were complete. Yundi then suggested that the trio withdraw until such time as Jaroo was in a less combative state.

“Well?” asked Nanoc as the group walked back down the hill. “What did ya find out?”

“I am not finding magic on this ‘Jaroo’,” said Aseneth. “There was…how are you saying…no trace. But that is not all. I try cast spell that making him more…calm…more willing listen what we say, but this having no effect—total failure. That is being very unusual. If he is really powerful druid, it is possible that he is being immune as he say, but I find it very rare that my magic not working even little bit. Jaroo is maybe crazy powerful old man, but he is not under spell.”

***

After dozens and dozens of failed attempts, Danton finally discovered the way to trip the intricate mechanism of the lock on the box (open lock take twenty: 20+8=28). When the lock finally clicked, the scout lay back on the floor for several moments shaking his head in wonderment before gathering up his tools and lifting open the lid.

When Danton opened the box, two things jumped out at him, one figuratively, the other literally. The first thing he saw inside the box was a tome with a black-dyed leather covering. The cover of the book was engraved with the words “Aseneth Velinax de Torquann.” Danton would have liked to examine the tome in greater detail, but his attention was drawn away from it almost immediately by the tiny, eight-inch long, green snake that sprang out of the box and towards his hands and face.

The Velunese leapt backwards with a shout of surprise, but, caught off guard as he was, moved too slowly. The little viper sank its fangs into his right hand and Danton immediately felt a sharp burning pain (fortitude save: 13+0=13). He shook the snake free of his hand, but immediately felt his strength begin to flag is its venom traveled up his arm (- 4 strength points). With his head spinning, Danton stumbled backwards towards the door, away from the little snake, which now coiled protectively on the floor in front of the open box.

***

“Say Aseneth,” said Telemachos as the trio made its way back down the hill, “maybe you wouldn’t mind coming with us to check out where Jaroo’s bear disappeared by the river. If you have some magical way of tracking it, that would be really useful.”

Aseneth drew in her breath as if about to respond, but then she suddenly froze in her tracks. She closed her eyes and a look of deep concentration passed over her face.

“Something is wrong at inn!” she hissed when she opened her eyes. Without further explanation or a backward look, the woman took off running down the hill, moving with a speed that Telemachos and Nanoc would not have believed she could attain, particularly in a dress.

Telemachos and Nanoc exchanged a quick look.

“Danton!” said Nanoc.

“I told that fool bard not to get caught!” muttered Telemachos.

With little idea what else to do, the pair charged off after Aseneth.

***

By the end of what he thought was his third day in the Underdark, Mauser was certain that Jil, Eiger, and Archangel had all survived their encounter with the fire worms and that all three were close on his heels. By charging recklessly ahead and resting only when the sounds of those behind him faded, the cleric managed to stay ahead of them, but each time he slept, he risked awakening to find Eiger standing over him with a blade at his throat.

After days of walking, jogging, and running through dark caverns, rifts, tunnels, and vaults, Mauser had lost all sense of direction. The path had not diverged again, offering no opportunities to escape those who followed him. The water he had carried into the Sunless Citadel had run low, and the cleric had been forced to replenish it in the underground streams that he periodically encountered.

To Mauser’s relief, the path did not seem to be descending deeper into the world below, but to his consternation, it did not seem to offer any avenue of return to the surface either. Including the one that currently burned in his left hand, the cleric was down to four torches. None of the caverns he had traveled had offered the sort of light-giving lichen or plants that Belak had cultivated in the Sunless Citadel, and Mauser had been forced to rely on his torches throughout his trip. He knew all to well that once they ran out, he was done for.

And so it was that when Mauser first saw light and heard voices ahead, on what he believed was his fourth day in the dark, he felt greatly relieved. The cleric extinguished his own, half-spent, torch, and slowed the pace of his advance. As he moved forward, the cavern in which he traveled widened to ten feet in width before ending in a hole in a wall that had clearly been constructed by humanoid hands rather than nature. Seeing the work of sentient beings for the first time in days, Mauser dared hope that he might finally have discovered a way back to the surface world. He stepped through the hole in the wall and found himself in a well-lit area, with torches spaced regularly along the walls.

The corridor in which Mauser stood was fifteen feet wide and it had obviously been carved out of the stone by someone or something. But when he glanced to the left, all feelings of elation faded. There appeared to once have been another passage to the left, but it was now clogged nearly to the height of the ten foot ceiling with a great pile of humanoid bones, most of which were twisted, broken and smashed. With this path blocked in such a grotesque manner, Mauser was forced to continue down the main corridor, from which voices could still be heard.

As he drew close to the end of the passage, where it turned to the left, Mauser recognized the language being spoken ahead and his step slowed further. The creatures ahead were goblins, or at least they spoke that guttural tongue. At the end of the corridor, Mauser pressed his back to the wall and listened for several minutes. As best he could tell from the snippets of conversation he caught, there were a half-dozen or more goblins present and they seemed to be on guard duty in some sort of mine.

Mauser might have stayed in that position for some time, listening to more of the goblins’ conversation, were it not for the fact that at that moment he heard additional voices from the opposite direction. Glancing over his right shoulder, back the way he had come, he saw torchlight flickering on the sides of the cavern just beyond the hole in the wall. He knew what this meant—Jil du Gal and her two remaining associates had arrived.

_______________________________________________________________

Notes for turn 22:

Please send postings for Turn 22 by the end of Friday, September 1st.

Keep in mind that for the bulk of the party the date is now 8 Lipanj (“Wealsun”), but for Mauser it is still 1 Lipanj.

Items gained this turn: none

Undivided Loot previously gained: none

Items used/lost/destroyed this turn: Mauser’s quarterstaff and 6.5 of his torches; I’ll tally up all the party’s living expenses for Hommlet whenever the group departs town.

FOES DEFEATED:

This Chapter:

Character Foes Defeated Percent of Total Most Powerful Defeated
Nanoc 0/0 0%  
Mauser 0/0 0%  
Telemachos 0/0 0%  
Danton 0/0 0%  
Erky 0/0 0%  

Entire Campaign:

Character Foes Defeated Percent of Total Most Powerful Defeated
Nanoc 43/104 41% Sarcophagus Thing
Mauser 19/104 18% Shadow
Telemachos 29/104 28% Calcryx
Danton 7/104 7% Bugbear
Erky 6/104 6% Twig Blight

Current Status of the Party:

Nanoc

AC: 14 (presently without armor)
Hit points: 35/35
New XP: 0
XP total: 3390
XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: great axe, short bow, short sword, studded leather armor, 46 arrows, 2 quivers, backpack, waterskin, 7 days trail rations, bedroll, 2 sacks, 2 flint & steel, bearskin, tent, 50’ rope, 1 sap, 2 small marble statues, 2 potions of cure light wounds

Gold: 113

Silver: 220

Mauser

AC: 18
Hit points: 31/31
New XP: 0
XP total: 3390
XP needed: 6,000

Spells Available:

0 Level (4): Detect Magic, Read Magic, LightX2
1st Level (4* one of these four spells must be a domain spell):Summon Monster I, Command, Cause Light Wounds, Nystul’s Aura
2nd Level (3*one must be a domain spell): Hold PersonX2, Invisibility

Equipment: heavy mace, light crossbow, scalemail, 36 crossbow bolts, small wooden shield, backpack, pouch belt, 50’ silk rope, 3 ½ torches, waterskin, flint & steel, 2 holy water flasks, peasant outfit, bedroll, entertainer’s outfit, cleric’s vestment, healer’s kit, 10 days rations, four jade dragon figurines, ½ potion of cure light wounds, 1 sap, 1 unknown potion, scrolls of slow poison, command, cure light wounds, inflict light wounds, unknown tome, morningstar +1, magical orb from the Sunless Citadel

Gold: 10 (plus 128 left in not-so-safe-keeping with Nanoc)

Silver: 220

Danton (Poisoned-Strength reduced to 6)

AC: 15 (16 vs. one opponent)
Hit points: 14/14
New XP: 0
XP total: 3390
XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: rapier, 6 daggers, light crossbow, studded leather armor, quiver with 13 bolts, bedroll, backpack, flint & steel, thieves picks, waterskin, 9 days trail rations, hooded lantern, notebook, pen, ink, gold ring engraved with the name Karakas, 1 sap, 1 metal key from Yusdrayl, Everburning Torch, 2 unknown arcane scrolls

Gold: 294

Silver: 220

Telemachos

AC: 12 (without armor at the moment)
Hit points: 32/32
New XP: 0
XP total: 3390
XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: short sword, 2 daggers, longbow, quiver and 36 arrows, large wooden shield, backpack, large sack, flint and steel, 10 days rations, waterskin, bedroll, tent, 1 sap, Shatterspike (Longsword +1 with special properties)

Gold: 127

Silver: 220

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