Chapter #1149
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+ THE ADVENTURERS +
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+ Epic VI +
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+ Many of the locations, non-player characters, spells, and other +
+ terms used in these stories are the property of Wizards of the Coast +
+ which has in no way endorsed or authorized their use. Any such +
+ property contained within these stories are not representative of +
+ Wizards of the Coast in any fashion. +
+ The player characters depicted in these stories are copyright +
+ 1991-2024 by Thomas A. Miller. Any resemblance to any persons +
+ or characters either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. +
+ Copying and/or distribution of these stories is permissible under +
+ the sole condition that no money is made in the process. In that +
+ case, I hope you enjoy them! +
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+ Adolphus 10th level half-ogre warrior +
+ Damien small, renegade imp +
+ Peyton 11th level gnome thief +
+ Rogar 10th level human priest of Olidammara +
+ Sylus 8th/10th level dark elf warrior/thief +
+ Wembly 10th level human wizard +
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+ Date: 6/17/586 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: late morning +
+ Place: the northwest reaches of the Abbor-Alz hills +
+ Climate: warm and dry, with cloudy skies +
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+ "We're not invincible. We've probably just been lucky this +
+ whole time." +
+ - Roman, from _F9_ +
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MCXLIX. A Change of Fortunes
After infiltrating and then attacking the mines, cleaning out multiple
barracks, and crossing a chasm, the party has advanced into in the large
central mineshaft. A short rest has allowed them to bind wounds and wolf
down a bit of food and drink while they contemplate their next move.
Adolphus: (looking around at the vacant tunnel) Where are everyone?
Damien: That's what I wondered...although not so eloquently.
Peyton: It's a valid question, no matter who asks it. (to Sylus) You
said there were miners here before?
Sylus: (nods) Dozens of them, toiling away steadily as I observed while
in gaseous form. (he looks both ways) They likely fled when the sound
of battle was heard.
Peyton: Or were commanded to flee. As a rule, duergar aren't stupid...
but they're also not the brightest embers in the fire. (he frowns)
Rogar: (takes a long pull from a wineskin) There's probably a trap of
some sort lying ahead for us.
Peyton: That's exactly what I was thinking. The question is...how can
we deal with it but not fall victim to it?
Sylus: (standing near one of the mining carts, he picks up a small chunk
of silver ore, examining it) They departed in a hurry, given all that
they left behind. While crude, it still has value.
Adolphus: But where did little bad guys go?
Peyton: (eyeing the central shaft as it curves away to the right) Had
to be that way. Either they're lying in wait for us, or preparing to
mount a counterattack.
Wembly: (absentmindedly tapping his fireball-wand against his forehead)
We can always blast them if things get really bad.
Rogar: Hey, you should be careful with that.
Wembly: (holds up the wand) This? It's okay. It can't launch anything
without a word of command. (he smirks) Although there are variants of
this wand, quite rare, that can and do project fireballs that easily.
It's said that such wands were first conceived of by the infamous mage
Emirikol the Chaotic.
Rogar: I see.
Adolphus: Wizard make fire wand. (he nods, grinning) Me understand too.
Wembly: Well, that's...good to know. (he gazes at the huge passage which
curves away into the distance)
Sylus: (pockets the piece of silver ore)
Damien: (hovering above, near the ceiling of the shaft)
Rogar: (to Peyton) So what's the next move here?
Peyton:
About a hundred feet to the right, the central shaft curved as noted
before; at this point, a smaller and rougher tunnel led away to the left
while the main passage continued onward. Sylus advised that his earlier
explorations had determined that this smaller side passage was empty and
unused, and likely wound its way into other caverns that weren't part of
the mines.
Sylus: I found three others that resembled this one. They taper to the
point where only one can walk abreast. (he eyes Adolphus, who is busy
chewing on an unidentifiable piece of dried meat) Or in some cases,
one would not even fit.
Peyton: (nods thoughtfully) Those might be worth exploring eventually,
but they won't lead us to whoever controls these mines. We'll continue
along the main shaft.
After veering to the right, that central passage continued for another
hundred feet before presenting the explorers with another choice. To the
right was a smaller but well-worked side tunnel, while the primary shaft
curved to the left and led onward. As they approached, Sylus held up a
hand suddenly.
Peyton: What is it?
Sylus: This is as far as I ventured earlier, but I noticed some unusual
bracing ahead- (he gestures with one hand) -right there, before the
main shaft bears left.
Peyton: (eyeing the walls and beams in that area) I see it. Look at
the ceiling there...someone's set a deadfall. I bet there's a length
of rope tied to one key timber, which if pulled hard will trigger the
collapse of the whole thing, and bury whoever's beneath it, and maybe
block the passage too.
Damien: Too bad there's no one there to make the trap worth springing.
Peyton: Not yet, there isn't. I see a knotted length of rope lying on
the floor of the shaft...but no one anywhere near it.
Sylus: They may have retreated once news of the earlier battle spread.
Peyton: We'll proceed, but carefully and one at a time. And in multiple
directions at once. Damien - you've got speed and the advantage of
wings; you fly ahead, make sure there's no one anywhere near that rope,
and scout out the main shaft ahead and to the left. Sylus - hug the
right wall and check out that side shaft. Wembly - you be ready to use
that wand and launch a fireball, should anything more than a duergar or
two appear in the main shaft where Damien's headed. And everyone...be
ready to act on a moment's notice. Just because all the miners have
retreated for now, I don't believe they're gone.
The various adventurers moved to carry out their assignments, or else
remained in place waiting for the next step.
Adolphus: What Adolphus should do?
Peyton: Just stay back for now. (he frowns) And whatever else you do,
do NOT touch that rope lying there against the wall ahead.
Adolphus: (nods, grinning) No worry...Adolphus not set off trap.
Damien moved ahead, ready to evade or retreat should anything happen
in the main shaft. Peyton had wondered if any invisible foes might be
positioned near that rope, and had advised Damien to head that way first
and check that area with his keen demonic senses (and his pitchfork).
However, the huge passageway truly was empty, and appeared to extend for
several hundred feet, the rough-cut shaft giving way to a smooth, square
corridor of worked stone. This passage eventually ended, with several
other, smaller ones intersecting its terminus.
Damien: (noting the significance of the mine shafts ending and a well-
fashioned complex beginning, he decides to hold his position and make
sure nothing heads toward the main party behind him)
Elsewhere, Sylus found that side passage soon led to another large
mineshaft, perhaps two hundred feet long and slightly curved. While it
didn't lead anywhere, it was clearly a work in progress, with active
veins of ore visible along its walls and many tools and supplies lying
about. This was definitely an area to revisit after the explorations and
fighting were over.
There was only one way left to go, although they didn't like it. The
dungeon complex ahead beckoned, although it was surely full of duergar
miners and warriors. Any approach would be perilous given the complete
lack of cover in the main shaft...and the possibility that the foes ahead
might count a wizard or two among their own number. However, fortunately
or otherwise, the adventurers didn't have the chance to strategize their
way through this problem, for suddenly a large force of gray dwarves
began to issue from the unknown complex at the far end of the huge shaft-
turned-passageway. There were more than a hundred duergar swarming in
the party's direction, and they appeared to be a mix of miners and actual
warriors with armor and weapons.
Damien: Whoa. (he turns and begins flying away from this horde)
Peyton: (immediately realizing that time is of the essence, and that the
best defense is a strong offense) Wembly! Fireball!
Some might have questioned the release of such a powerful and large-
scale destructive spell in an underground area (even one as large as the
central mine shaft) but logic was on the gnome's side. The area beyond
the mob of foes was clearly sizable enough and complex enough to contain
them all, and therefore provided a place for a large portion of the blast
to vent its fiery energy.
Wembly: Coming right up! (he raises his wand)
Damien: And center the blast at the very end of this passage!
Wembly: (scoffs, as he had already done the thinking for this and had
come to the same conclusion)
They would never know why the duergar had been commanded to attack in
a large, tightly-packed mass. It might have been because no duergar had
yet escaped the invading adventurers, and therefore had not been able to
advise others that the invaders had a wizard. Or it might have been that
a commander had simply had enough of the mines' defenses being overcome
piece by piece, and had sought to overwhelm the attackers by sheer weight
of numbers. Whatever the case, it didn't end well for the duergar, as
Wembly's perfectly-placed fireball arced over the bulk of the force and
detonated at the far end of the large passage. Many dozens of the evil
demi-humans were instantly incinerated, including those still issuing
forth from the smaller passages that led into the main one. The searing
flames immediately expanded into those areas as well, wreaking mass
destruction within the corridors and chambers of the yet-to-be-explored
dungeon complex.
Roughly half of the fireball, however, went the other way. Scores of
the attacking duergar were burned into ashes, while those closer to the
party were set aflame and knocked forward, on their faces, by the sheer
force of the blast. The airborne Damien, while unaffected by the heat
of the flames, was knocked back a hundred feet by the explosion, tumbling
head-over-tail toward the curve in the main shaft, the deadfall, and the
main party.
Damien: Whoaaaaaaaaaaa...(he sails over the others, landing in a heap
on the floor of the mineshaft behind them)
Peyton had already had the group take cover around the bend in the
central passage, and while the flames extended to within twenty or thirty
feet of them, they quickly died down and then died out.
Wembly: Whoa. (he shakes his head to try and clear out the ringing in
his ears) Whoa.
Aside from what they hoped was temporary deafness (and a measure of
dizziness) from the blast, their eyes stung due to the intensely hot, dry
air. However, this was nothing compared to the damage done to the force
that had been charging their way just moments before. At the far end of
the main passage were numerous black smudges on the floor; then, closer
to the party, the slain foes were charred black lumps. Even closer were
still-burning bodies, some inert and others writhing. And closest to the
invading adventurers, perhaps two dozen in number, was the front rank of
gray dwarves...alive, but stunned and in many cases knocked to the floor.
A haze of smoke filled the air, making it hard to see anything clearly,
and the smell or burned flesh was overpowering.
Wembly: (coughs, having trouble breathing)
Sylus: (having had the foresight to tie a thick handkerchief around his
nose and mouth, he draws his sword, anticipating the next move)
Adolphus: (noticing what the dark elf did, he covers his mouth with a
greasy rag)
Rogar: (having retrieved a jug of water, he splashes some in his eyes,
then moves to help Wembly)
Peyton: Attack! (he realizes that his voice may not carry well due to
the ringing in his and the others' ears, and instead points to the
surviving foes as he moves forward)
The unfortunate duergar were in no position to fight back effectively,
and in short order they had been dispatched by Sylus and Adolphus. In
the meantime, Wembly had recovered enough to summon a powerful gust of
wind, which helped the group see things more clearly.
Peyton: As soon as more of this smoke dissipates, we need to advance
into the area ahead. (he smirks) Although I doubt there's anyone
left there, at least not anyone in any condition to fight. (to Wembly)
Good work.
Wembly: Thanks. I underestimated the size of the blast, given the area
we're in...it was close, but it worked out.
Sylus: (gazing at the remains of more than a hundred duergar) Not for
them.
Damien: (sits up, shaking his head) That was wild! (shakily, he gets
to his feet, finding himself a bit wobbly for now)
Rogar: (takes a long drink of wine from his very special flagon, which
refills itself magically and will never be found empty)
Adolphus: (drains a wineskin of his own, then notices something in the
distance) Huh?
Sylus: (sensing something amiss, he turns to look in that direction)
Peyton: What's- (he gapes) Uh-oh.
Floating out of the acrid smoke and toward them was a nightmare made
real. The spherical body, wider than a man was tall, was dominated by
a gigantic eye and the equally-gigantic mouth below it...a mouth filled
with needle-like teeth. A number of fleshy stalks sprouted from the top
of the creature, each of them tipped with a smaller eye. Several of these
smaller eyes now regarded the party, as of course did the huge central
one.
Adolphus: (drops the wineskin, grabbing his battleaxe with both hands)
Sylus: Eye tyrant! We must-
Even as the fearsome monster silently drifted toward them with increased
speed, the smaller eyes facing the group began to launch magical attacks.
Sylus: (narrowly dodges a green beam, which hits the nearby shaft wall
and carves out a large chunk, the stone disintegrating) Aie.
Rogar: (casting some priestly spell, he suddenly finds his words and
movements happening more slowly)
Peyton: (collapses, falling to the stone floor)
Damien: (regards the slowed-down Rogar) Damn. (regards the fallen
Peyton) Damn.
Wembly: (completes a spell, bombarding the flying sphere with a volley
of glowing magical missiles, and actually slowing its advance for now)
Damien: Hey, good job-
Sylus: Retreat! Now! Adolphus, get Rogar and help him! Wembly, get
that fire-wand ready!
The dark elf intended to retrieve Peyton's body himself, but quickly
found that impossible as another magical green beam removed a nearby
swath of the passage's floor from existence. There was no way to reach
the gnome without getting in the range of that and other attacks. With
Adolphus holding his battleaxe in one huge hand, and having slung Rogar
over the other shoulder, the group quickly moved behind the bend in the
central shaft.
Sylus: Wembly - now!
Wembly: (hugging the wall, he peeks around the turn in the shaft, wand
raised)
The wizard launched what would have surely been a game-changer...had the
budding fireball not been eclipsed in the wide, pale yellow beam launched
from the beholder's large eye. Wembly ducked around the bend just in time
to avoid being caught in that beam, which was moving and shifting as the
spherical beast advanced.
Sylus: Damn! (spotting something from before, he quickly turns to face
Adolphus) Change of plan! Grab that rope and pull it as hard as you
can!
Adolphus: But he said-
Sylus: Do it now, or we're all dead!
Adolphus: Hmm. (he puts Rogar down and lumbers back to the deadfall's
rope, grabbing it with both hands) Pull now? Am you sure?
Sylus: Yes, pull it and get back over here before the rocks fall! (he
sees the eye tyrant coming around the curve in the shaft) Now!
Adolphus: (shrugs) Well, okay.
The huge half-ogre did as instructed, pulling on the rope with all of
his might. Normally, the deadfall's trigger would have taken the combined
strength of several duergar...but Adolphus was able to pull the rope all
by himself. The timber came loose, and the trap functioned as designed,
with other supports breaking one by one, freeing the huge mass of rubble
so carefully wedged in place above. Being no fool, Adolphus let the rope
go and scrambled out from under the impending deadfall. However, in the
moment before the immense pile of debris fell, the beholder rounded the
bend in the central shaft, firing one last eye-beam in the direction of
the fleeing adventurers.
Adolphus: (struck in the back by a gray beam) Huh? (he stops moving,
and then freezes in place as his body, clothes, and possessions begin
to change into stone)
Sylus: No-
The dark elf's protest was drowned out as the deadfall collapsed, the
rubble completely blocking the central shaft, burying the now-petrified
Adolphus and completely cutting the remaining four adventurers off from
the formidable monster on the other side.
Damien: Well, shit.
next: regrouping for another try
map: http://www.peldor.com/world/atlas/bright_desert.jpg
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 5/10/2024
notes: Well, how's that for a cliffhanger?
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