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Chapter 1: A Darkness Gathering

Turn 27: Ambush Times Two

“Oh, by all the gods!” moaned Danton. “We are in over our heads, gentlemen, if I doth say so mineself! We hath twice been worsted, first by a dragon and next by gnolls, and we hath not even entered yon dungeon. For mine troubles, I hath lost mine cash, traveling journal, and love letters. Not a solitary doubloon hath been gained to replace them, I might add, though, frankly, no amount of mere lucre could replace that which I've lost. And now, 'twould appear that we're in for another drubbing -- this one p'raps the final round of a slugfest in which we hath been overmatched. I hath not such pride as not to admit to the obvious: we hath had our arses kicked hither and yon! And the arse-kicking appeareth not yet to be over! Argh! Those wagons cometh closer! We must act before there is no choice but to fight ... and die.”

”Hey, settle down, Danton,” said Nanoc with a low chuckle. “It’s a tight spot, but it ain't over til it’s over—no sense in talkin' doom and gloom. If we stay positive, Kord will give us the strength to overcome if need be.”

“I am ready to fight,” said Aseneth firmly. “If you will protect, I have all spells ready.”

“Nanoc,” said Danton, his voice now somewhat closer to its normal pitch, “I am no tactician, and I am attempting to calm mineself, albeit with some difficulty. Thus, if you or good Telemachos recommend a plan to extricate us from this situation and then either to safely spy on the newcomers or travel back to Hommlet for recuperation, believe me my boy, I wilt not hesitate to fall in and do mine part! My insistence is only that we avoid another fight if at all possible ... or, if melee proveth inevitable, we find the most defensible position and defend it -- preferably with a combination of magic and missile weapons before coming to face-to-face onslaught. Finally, I meaneth no insult to Kord, whose powers are known even to a nonbeliever such as mineself, but the plain fact is that we've twice gotten an arse-kicking in this moathouse, and Kord appeareth to have done nothing but watched it happen. I feareth the consequences of a third such drubbing!”

Aseneth shook her head and scowled at these comments, but Danton ignored her.

“Here is my quick assessment of our military situation,” interjected Telemachos, his voice quiet but commanding. “First of all, I think some invisible recon is necessary. These may or may not be friendlies. They could be these triangle-bearing cultists, or some numbnuts from Hommlet out to steal our glory or have at us. Second, I think that escape is futile at this point. We will have to fight - with surprise on our side. And we should do it like this…”

After thinking for a moment, Telemachos bellowed out: “Aseneth! Turn Danton invisible if you can!”

The soldier then turned to the Velunese: "Go scout them out, master spy. See if they have those un-holy symbols and if they would intend us any harm.  Do a quick count if possible.  And, don't make a noise!  Much depends on you, friend.  When you return, make your way into the hallway leading to that rubble.  Get your needle out and ready to stab their backs where their armor is weak.  If you have any reason to think them hostile, we shall go into battle! Now, go!"

Aseneth nodded approvingly, approached Danton, and began an incantation.

“I wilt do mine best to reconnoiter the newcomers,” said Danton, swallowing hard, “hoping beyond hope that they are not enemies. But, being an occasional gambler, I'd not bet on that. 'Twill be enemies, for certain. Should they be enemies, I'll do as you bid. I'm not a bad shot with mine crossbow, so I, too, could pick off a foe at a distance. If Aseneth can make me unseen, I couldst also attempt to stab a foe from the flank or rear with mine rapier ... or ‘needle’ as Telemachos rightly terms it. Methinks I'll see which seems best under the circumstances of the moment.”

As Danton spoke, Aseneth finished her spell and the Velunese disappeared before the eyes of the rest of the party. But his now-disembodied voice continued to be heard: ”One thing more. Though I warrant these wagon-men are enemies, if there is uncertainty as to who they are, what doth you warriors propose? We could ambush them anyhow, taking no chances, whilst we still have the advantage and chalk up any mistake to the fog of war. Alternatively, we could parley with them, to gauge their intent.“

“Danton, I only parley on the field of honor, not with goblins, cultists, and lightning-breathing dragons,” insisted Telemachos. “In our condition, surprise is an absolute necessity, as is the initiative. Your recon will provide us with the best information possible to ascertain friend or foe. That is the best we can do. I have not marched across distant lands to parley with evil beasts and men.”

“This is right,” agreed Aseneth. “These are evil men. There is no need for talking.”

”No!” said Nanoc loudly. “If Danton is sure these are bad guys, then we throw evrythin’ at ‘em. But we ain’t killin’ folks unless we know they wanna do us harm.”

“I’m with Nanoc on this one,” said Xaod.

“Fine, we’ll let Danton make the call,” said Telemachos. “Now move, man!”

While Danton turned on his invisible heel and headed out of the great hall, Telemachos continued issuing orders:

"Xaod, great warrior, take the lady into that hallway leading to the west wing.  Hide yourself until they enter into the chamber hall. Let loose with an arrow or taunt them with your blade at the ready.  Get them to come to you and they shall have quite a surprise.  You shall act first when you are ready.  We will wait for you."

“Right,” grunted Xaod.

Telemachos turned to Aseneth. "Milady, these men are here to steal all that you seek.  Let loose with any magic you have to punish them severely.  Stay behind Xaod and hit them like you never have hit anything before." 

“I will do as you are asking,” replied the woman.

Finally, Telemachos turned to address Nanoc: “If there is a magic-axe here, these men are standing in your way of taking it. Do not let it end here. Your weapons are sharp and you are powerful.  Use that bow if you want or use those massive legs and powerful arms to slice your enemies apart.  You hide in that stairwell room while Xaod acts, then loose hell on them!"

“As for me, I shall be in that empty room over there with an arrow nocked and ready to let fly. My blade is sharp and ready for action. I shall cut down two for every one the rest of you take. Now, get to your positions and have courage!"

“This is how real man is taking command,” said Aseneth approvingly. “Maybe he is not mother’s boy after all,” she added in a lower voice. 

“I thinks,” blurted Nanoc, “that Aseneth oughta use that empty room there for cover,” he said, pointing at the room in the southeast corner of the keep. “It’s farthest from the entrance, and there is rubble over that way that Xaod can use for cover and still be able to head off anyone headin’ for her. I can hide behind that rubble in the middle back towards that far wall, and Tel you can use that rubble there a little further over for cover. Least that’s what I think is best.”

“That would give me an’ the lady maximum distance from ‘em as they come through the door,” mused Xaod, “an’ you two could hit ‘em from either side.”

“Okay, do it!” said Telemachos. “Now everybody move!”

***

Fumbling about in the darkness, Mauser managed to light a torch. The fire briefly hurt his eyes, but as soon as they adjusted to the light, the cleric resumed his rapid passage down the tunnel, moving as quickly as he could without risking tripping or impaling himself on a stalagmite.

Although Mauser again passed numerous side tunnels, all of them seemed to be smaller than the main one through which he traveled, so he continued without slowing. As it had prior to the undead-filled tomb, the passage ascended gradually. After some fifteen minutes had passed since he had lit the torch, Mauser felt the slightest touch of fresh, cool air on his face.

Although daring to hope that he might finally be nearing the surface at long last, Mauser nonetheless slowed his pace, determined not to run into yet another nest of potential enemies. Having neither heard nor seen any sign of pursuit, it seemed safe for the moment to move more slowly. After another ten minutes of walking, the tunnel turned to the left and angled upward more sharply. From the light of his torch, Mauser could see that the cavern walls were once again worked and carved in a style similar to the arches and engravings he had seen in the huge underground tomb. But most of the images were long since chipped and worn, making it difficult to determine what they might once have portrayed.

And then the tunnel bent once more and, in the distance, Mauser saw natural light for the first time in weeks. A strong gust of cool air swept over him and extinguished his torch. Mauser put the torch away, hefted his morningstar and shield and walked forward towards the light.

***

Temporarily focusing more on speed than stealth, Danton ran across the empty courtyard and up to the ruined gate and lowered drawbridge. Once he was standing on the recently repaired span, he could gaze out on the open landscape to the west. He spotted the two wagons immediately. They had now reached the bend in the road and were coming up towards the moathouse from the south. They would arrive at the bridge in no more than a minute. It looked as though a single man drove each of the two horse-drawn covered wagons, but it was obvious to Danton that the vehicles were large enough to carry much larger numbers in the back.

With the wagons approaching, Danton moved back across the courtyard and put his back up against the wall just north of the entrance to the great hall. This position would give him the option of going into the hall ahead of the newcomers or following behind them, whichever he decided to be best tactically.

The next thing Danton knew, the wagons had arrived. Rather than test the drawbridge with the weight of wagons and horses, the drivers stopped the vehicles outside the keep and disembarked. Danton saw two men in leather armor, followed by a short, stout woman with short-cropped red hair who emerged from the back of one of the wagons. She wore plate mail and carried a metal shield and it was immediately obvious by her demeanor and the behavior of the two men that she was in charge. She ordered the men to open up the back of the second wagon while she watched. They did so with obvious trepidation and moments later, Danton understood why.

Out of the back of the second wagon emerged a creature of nightmare the likes of which Danton had never before seen. Its body was that of a huge green snake some five feet in length, but instead of a snake’s head, the creature had a beak-like maw surrounded by four long, waving suction-cup covered tentacles that Danton thought belonged more to some horrific creature of the deeps than a snake that slithered the surface of the world. The moment he saw the creature, Danton knew that these newcomers were up to no good.

With the woman and the creature in the lead, the four new arrivals crossed the bridge and moved into the courtyard. The woman immediately noticed the body of Chatrilon Unosh, which the party had left near the gates where the would-be assassin had died days earlier. The woman crouched and examined the corpse for several moments. When she stood once again, she had a heavy morningstar in her right hand. The woman and her associates now moved purposefully towards the entrance to the great hall and Danton could not help but notice the now-familiar triangle symbol with the upside down ‘Y’ that hung around her neck.

***

As Mauser approached the mouth of the cave, the dimensions of the tunnel grew and grew, such that when he finally emerged into the rain under a cloudy sky, the roof of the tunnel towered twenty feet overhead and it was nearly forty feet from side to side.

The tunnel emerged from the side of a hill. Other low, green hills were visible to both left and right, but ahead the land was flat and covered with grass. Off in the distance, some great forest was visible. But it was what was closer to hand that drew Mauser’s attention. Directly ahead of him, no more than a hundred yards from the tunnel entrance, were the ruins of some ancient structure. Given how spread out the ruins were, it might once have been a castle, but now only a few stone pillars still stood, surrounded by rocks and stone that were largely overgrown with grasses.

Looking over his shoulder as he went, Mauser slowly made his way towards the ruins. Noticing how his boots left obvious tracks in the grass and the muddy ground, he circled well around the ruins before moving into them from the far side. Once amidst the standing stones and fallen pillars, he took up a vantage point behind one of the larger rocks, leaned up against it to conceal his presence as much as possible and settled down to wait.

***

With Xaod and Aseneth hidden in the large room at the southeast corner of the great hall, Nanoc moved behind a large pile of stones just outside the stairwell leading down to whatever lay below the keep. At the half-orc’s request, Xaod had healed him once again [+12 HP] immediately before the group broke up and each member headed for his or her assigned position. Now Nanoc knelt behind the rubble and set out a dozen arrows on the rocks in front of him. He carefully placed his axe on the stone floor at his side and then took up his recently acquired composite bow.

When he heard movement and low voices in the courtyard outside, Nanoc ducked lower behind the rubble and whispered, “Kord if you hear me, and my strength pleases you, may I crush my enemies today in a great display of strength. If you do not hear or are not pleased, so be it. I will see you on the other side then.”

On the other side of the great hall, Telemachos stood just inside the small, partially collapsed room the party had searched days earlier. He too had arrows set out and his bow in hand. Shatterspike lay close at hand atop a large rock. Hearing the same noises as Nanoc, Telemachos pressed himself up close against the wall, listened, and waited.

***

An hour after he began his surveillance, Mauser saw movement in the cave mouth. As he watched, one very large figure emerged into the rain. At such a distance, Mauser could not tell who or what it was, but he observed as the figure paused, set something down, did something else for several moments, and then picked up whatever it was that it had dropped, which appeared to be quite large. The figure then began moving again, away from the cave and towards the grasslands—and towards the ruins where Mauser hid.

As the slow-moving figure gradually drew closer, Mauser finally realized what it was that he saw. It was Eiger, carrying the dead or unconscious body of Jil du Gal on his shoulders. There was no sign of Archangel. Eiger looked as though he had seen better days—his clothing and armor were badly rent, while Jil’s skin was still covered with the boils that had erupted on it when the ghostly queen cursed her.

When Eiger was less than a hundred feet away, Mauser gripped his holy symbol and cast his spell, targeting the half-orc with all the power of Boccob he could channel (cast Hold Person). Moments later, Eiger froze in his tracks and Jil’s body slipped from his shoulders, falling into the muddy grass with a loud thump.

Smiling, Mauser stepped out from behind the pillar that had provided him cover and strode up to Eiger, who remained unmoving. When he stood in front of the half-orc, the cleric shifted his form from that of Gregory Hucrele to Mauser Gregorus. He hooked his morningstar to his belt and withdrew a dagger.

"You know, I never intended any ill will towards you or your friends, but now I cannot allow to leave behind any loose ends,” said Mauser. As he raised the dagger and moved forward, he added, “Somehow it seems appropriate that it should come down to you and I, no?”

***

All Danton’s training told him that if he were going to make a sneak attack to launch the party’s assault on the interlopers, the woman in command should be his target. He thus resolved to move into the great hall ahead of her and her party so that he would not have the men in leather armor between his blade and the woman’s back. As silent as death, Danton slipped up the stairs and back into the great hall (move silently: 19+8=27). So quiet was the scout, that he was certain not even his associates, who were at least aware that he was around somewhere, had the slightest idea that he was now back in the hall. He stood silently and waited for the armored woman to appear.

Moments later, when the woman and the bizarre snake-creature moved through the doorway and into the shadows of the great hall, both Nanoc and Telemachos saw the beast and they too knew that enemies approached.

[Initiative: Danton: 10, Telemachos: 16, Nanoc: 21, Xaod: 20, Aseneth: 9, Foes: 4]

A fraction of a second later, Danton struck, moving up behind the short red-haired woman to slide his rapier between the gaps in her armor, but unfortunately, his aim was off slightly and the blade clanged off her armor rather than piercing it (attack: 10+4=14; miss). Danton’s invisibility faded instantly and he found himself standing amidst four enemies.

Telemachos stepped part way around the corner of the room and let his first shaft fly at one of the two men behind the woman and the beast (attack: 20+3=23; critical hit: 10 damage). The shot was perfect—it struck the man in the right eye, knocked him off his feet, and killed him instantly.

“For Furyondy! For Jaroo!” screamed the soldier in exultation as he reached for another arrow.

Nanoc’s first arrow left his bow even before Telemachos got his shot off (attack: 13+7=20; hit; 5 damage). The arrow slammed into the second armored man’s chest, but was not fatal.

At the same time, missile fire, both magical and mundane, emerged from the room in the corner, with Aseneth and Xaod both targeting the snake creature. A pair of magical projectiles slammed into the thing and then an arrow from Xaod’s massive composite longbow rocketed right into the beast’s maw. The creature shuddered under the repeated impacts and then collapsed to the ground, where it still shook and quivered.

With surprise lost and missile fire coming in all around him, Danton took advantage of the slow reactions of the stunned newcomers to leap out of the fray and dive behind a pile of rocks, rolling and reaching for his crossbow as he landed.

With only two stunned foes still upright, Nanoc cracked off another shot at the badly wounded man (attack: 20+7=27; critical hit; 16 damage). This time the arrow must have hit the man in the heart, for he crumpled instantly when the shaft ripped through his armor.

Now caught alone in a crossfire, the armored woman spun about in confusion, first trying to strike at Danton with her morningstar as he withdrew and then trying to perform an incantation, even as she was harried by missile fire from Telemachos (attack: 12+3=15; miss), Xaod and Aseneth. The woman’s metal armor blocked less-than-perfect shots from the two warriors, but Aseneth’s magical attack nevertheless knocked her off balance and ruined whatever spell she had attempted.

Clearly panicking now, the woman did not even think to run or dive for cover as the entire party rained bowfire on her (Danton attack: 9+4=13; miss; Nanoc attack: 15+7=22; hit; 4 damage; Telemachos attack: 15+3=18; hit; 6 damage). Even though Xaod missed and Aseneth ceased firing, hits from both Nanoc and Telemachos proved too much for the woman and she collapsed under the hail of arrows.

The entire engagement had lasted less than a minute and the entire enemy party had been eliminated without so much as getting a shot or spell off.

“Hah! I love it when a plan comes together!” yelled Telemachos, pounding his fist in the air. “This was a textbook operation! You all executed it perfectly! I wish my father could have seen it! By the way, is that all of them, my friend?” he called out to Danton.

“Twould appear so,” replied the Velunese, picking himself up off the floor and dusting off his breeches. “But we shouldst check their wagons to be sure.”

The group gathered up their arrows, bows, and melee weapons and moved cautiously to the doorway. By now the green snake-beast had finally stopped thrashing and Telemachos checked to ensure that all four of the interlopers were dead.

“This is fine armor,” said the soldier when he examined the dead woman. “Too bad it’s sized for a short woman rather than a tall man, or I’d claim it as my own. It deflected everything but the most direct shots!”

Aside from the armor, shield, morningstar, and triangle symbol, the dead woman carried a light crossbow and 20 bolts, a beaded necklace and a scroll tube. When Nanoc gathered up the various items, he handed the scroll tube to Aseneth. She opened the container and withdrew four rolled up sheets of parchment. The woman perused them quickly and then handed all four, and the container, to Danton.

“These are cleric spells,” she said. “Three are healing one is guarding from fire. You are no cleric but seem have power to use anyway—you should take. I can do nothing with this.”

“Ya know,” added Nanoc, “even if Tel can’t use this armor, we should take it back ta Hommlet an’ sell it. Normally that might be too heavy ta carry, even fer me, what wit’ all the other stuff I’m totin’, but now it looks like we got a whole coupla wagons out there ta haul stuff! Why we can cart off ev’rythin’ that ain’t nailed down!”

“Let’s go see,” said Danton. “But be wary.”

With Telemachos and Nanoc in the lead, the party moved cautiously across the courtyard and outside the keep. When they approached the horses and wagons, the party members noticed that the animals had blinders around their eyes that severely limited their field of vision.

“Probably to keep them from seeing that beast,” muttered Xaod. “A thing like that would make most horses panic. Even just smelling it might be enough.”

Although the party examined the wagons with extreme caution, it soon became apparent that one was completely empty, while the second carried nothing but a large supply of food and water.

“Why would somebody come all the way out here with mostly empty wagons?” asked Nanoc.

“The mystery grows deeper the more we progress,” said Telemachos. “But one thing is certain—our answers lie below the moathouse. We must see our way through.”

***

It was when Eiger blinked that Mauser knew something was wrong. The cleric was still five feet away when he caught the tiny movement (spot: 19) and sensed danger. Eiger’s longsword leapt from its scabbard and was flashing towards Mauser in a fraction of a second.

[Initiative: Mauser: 18, Eiger: 17]

With only a dagger in hand, Mauser leapt backward and slashed at Eiger’s arm (attack: 17+3=20; hit; 2 damage), striking the half-orc a minor blow. Eiger’s counterattack was far more devastating, as the warrior knocked Mauser’s shield aside and then slammed his longsword into the cleric’s armored abdomen (11 damage).

“I might have known it was you all along,” spat Eiger as he advanced on Mauser.

Backing away as quickly as he could without turning his back on the enraged half-orc, Mauser dropped his dagger and withdrew his enchanted morningstar. He struck Eiger hard on the left shoulder with the weapon (attack: 17+3=20; hit; 6 damage), but the half-orc did not even slow down, slamming his blade into Mauser’s left leg just below the hip (9 damage).

“Time to die, changeling,” said Eiger as he advanced.

With his left leg going numb, Mauser found it increasingly difficult to move across the muddy, slippery ground. When he swung his morningstar at Eiger again, his feet slid underneath him, causing the swing to go wild (attack: 5+3=8; miss).

Mauser was still trying to recover his balance when Eiger ran him through (13 damage). There was a sharp, hard impact and then felt himself falling. Then there was a second impact and he was lying on his back in the mud while the rain fell into his eyes.

“You’re right,” came Eiger’s voice, as if from a great distance, “I am glad it came down to the two of us. You’ve betrayed us for the last time.”

Mauser felt one last impact, and then…nothing.

________________________________________________________________

Notes for turn 28:

Please send postings for Turn 28 by the end of Friday, October 13th.

Items gained this turn: Carried by Nanoc: 1 suit of half plate mail, 1 masterwork morningstar, 1 large metal shield, 1 more triangle pendant, 1 light crossbow, 20 bolts, 1 beaded necklace, Carried by Danton: 3 scrolls of cure light wounds, 1 scroll of protection from fire; Additional: two horses and two small covered wagons containing enough rations and water to last the for the party (five people) for a week

Undivided Loot previously gained: none

Items used/lost/destroyed this turn: All of Mauser’s items

FOES DEFEATED:

This Chapter:

Entire Campaign:

Current Status of the Party:

Nanoc

AC: 17

Hit points: 18/35

New XP: 270

XP total: 5550

XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: great axe, short bow, silver-plated short sword, masterwork studded leather armor, 69 arrows, 2 quivers, backpack, waterskin, 15 days trail rations, bedroll, 2 sacks, 2 flint & steel, bearskin, tent, 50’ rope, 1 sap, 2 small marble statues, 3 extra suits of masterwork studded leather armor, rapier, buckler, 1 heavy mace, lilac-colored stone mask, longsword, shortbow, 1 suit of chainmail (badly damaged), masterwork composite shortbow, 3 jade gems, masterwork longsword, masterwork shortsword, golden brooch, eight iron triangles with inverted ‘Y’,1 suit of half plate mail, 1 masterwork morningstar, 1 large metal shield, 1 light crossbow, 20 bolts, 1 beaded necklace,

Gold: 57

Silver: 220

Danton

AC: 15 (16 vs. one opponent)

Hit points: 3/14

New XP: 270

XP total: 5550

XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: rapier, 6 daggers, light crossbow, studded leather armor, quiver with 13 bolts, bedroll, backpack, flint & steel, thieves picks, waterskin, 8 days trail rations, hooded lantern, notebook, pen, ink, gold ring engraved with the name Karakas, 1 sap, 1 metal key from Yusdrayl, Everburning Torch, scrolls with pyrotechnics and melf’s acid arrow, waterlogged journal, two iron triangles with upside down ‘Y’ inside, 3 cure light wounds scrolls, 1 protection from fire scroll

Gold: 0

Silver: 0

Telemachos

AC: 18

Hit points: 11/32

New XP: 270

XP total: 5550

XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: splint mail, short sword, 2 daggers, longbow, quiver and 33 arrows, large wooden shield, backpack, large sack, flint and steel, 18 days rations, waterskin, bedroll, tent, 1 sap, Shatterspike (Longsword +1 with special properties), honey and berries

Gold: 65

Silver: 210