Chapter #1150
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next chapter (#1151)
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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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+ Damien small, renegade imp +
+ 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: 6/18/586 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: afternoon +
+ Place: the village of Ul-Bakak, in the Bright Desert +
+ Climate: hot and dry +
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+ "It's a strange thing, this life we've chosen. We know that the +
+ odds tell us without doubt that we'll one day be killed in the +
+ wilds, but we keep telling ourselves that it won't be this day +
+ at least, and so we walk farther along that same road." +
+ - Regis, from _The Thousand Orcs_ +
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MCL. Bolstering the Ranks
Within the group's temporary quarters in the neutral trading village
of Ul-Bakak, Otto and the others are learning of recent events in the
mines...
Sylus: -and we have marched hard for more than a day, pausing to rest
only when it was too dark to see.
Damien: (casts a sidelong glance at Wembly and Rogar) Too dark for some
to see.
Sylus: I was not sure if Wembly and Rogar could keep the pace, but they
did, and here we are.
Otto: Minus Peyton and Adolphus.
Sylus: Yes. As I said, Peyton was either slain or rendered unconscious,
and poor Adolphus turned to stone. The thing had other eye-beams too;
one destroyed large chunks of rock, and likely would have done the same
to any of us, had it caught us.
Wembly: (visibly fatigued from the recent grueling journey) The monster
also had a more powerful ray that nullified all magic. (he slumps, his
spirit broken by the memory of the defeat)
Damien: We didn't expect to run into a beholder.
Otto: No one ever does.
Rogar: (grabs a wineskin and takes a long drink from it, then wipes his
sweaty brow with one sleeve) The question is, what do we do now?
Otto: (frowns slightly)
Four days ago, after speaking with the hill barbarian chieftain Orm
and setting the other group on the path toward the mines, Belphanior had
returned to the Brass Hills. Neera, Arusha, and Judhon had accompanied
him, as had Irina and Skektek. The rest of the group had remained in the
village, ostensibly awaiting word from Orm about any potential alliances
(or issues) with the desert nomads.
Of course, all was not as it appeared. The truth was that Belphanior
had strongly suspected that whatever lurked within the mines might have
been more than Peyton's group could contend with, and so he'd hedged his
bets by leaving potential reinforcements behind in the vicinity. While
only Otto knew this, he had wondered what might become of the initial
foray into the unknown tunnels to the east...and now he knew.
Otto: It's simple. We return to the mines, deal with the gray dwarves
and the beholder, and rescue whoever's still alive.
Damien: That _is_ simple. (he thinks about that giant, floating sphere
full of eyes and teeth) Although maybe easier said than done.
Sylus: (nods) And who is "we" ?
Paige: A mine? Evil dwarves? A beholder? (she smirks) Count me in.
Hope: I'll be bringing more resourceful magic to bear than the simple
tactics of Skektek would offer, that's for sure.
Poulos: And I shall protect her from any who might try to harm her.
Ys: (pats the huge greatsword strapped across his broad back) My area
of expertise should be obvious.
Razor Charlie: (just grimaces, twirling a knife in one hand)
Sylus: I see.
Otto: So the six of us will augment your existing force, and together
we'll take another stab at the place. (to the others) Gather your
weapons and supplies. We leave within the hour.
And they did. With fresh mounts accustomed to the terrain and climate,
the group - now ten strong - departed Ul-Bakak and headed east, into the
Abbor-Alz hills. The hillmen who Orm had assigned to them as guides (for
the clearing of the mines was of great importance to him) guided their
path and helped make the trip as brief as possible. Thus it was that
after more than a day of hard riding, the newly-combined team neared the
mine just before nightfall the day after Sylus and the others had limped
into Ul-Bakak.
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+ Otto 12th/14th level dwarven fighter/thief +
+ Hope 16th level female human wizard +
+ Poulos 8th level human warrior +
+ Paige 13th level human female warrior +
+ Razor Charlie 12th level human fighter +
+ Ys 14th level reptilian fighter +
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+ Damien small, renegade imp +
+ 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: 6/19/586 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: early evening +
+ Place: the northwest reaches of the Abbor-Alz hills +
+ Climate: warm and dry +
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Otto: Let me know when we're close enough to be seen. The main group
will stay back while you show me what we're dealing with here.
Sylus: Right.
The dark elf was not one who needed to be led or commanded, but these
powerful reinforcements represented the best chance of success, and Otto
was clearly used to directing their actions in exploration and battle.
Besides, technically, Sylus and his group were working for Belphanior,
and thus by extension, Otto. In short order, the two of them crept up
the far side of a hill - the same hill that Sylus and Peyton had used as
a vantage point just three days before - and were gazing upon the mine's
multiple entrances...and all of the damage resulting from the fireballs.
Otto: (in a very low voice, nearly a whisper) Boy, you people did a job
on those far entrances.
Sylus: You should see the interior passages and chambers.
Otto: Night's falling out here, but that doesn't mean anything inside
the mine. But...we've been riding all day and we're exhausted. I say
we get some rest and start this in the morning. (he turns to the dark
elf) Thoughts?
Sylus: (nods) Agreed. Whatever the current state of my two missing
companions, it is unlikely to change in the next few hours.
Otto: Very well. We'll retreat to a safe point, keep a low and quiet
profile, and make camp for the night. I'll let Orm's men know that
they can head back to the village whenever they want. (he rubs his
beard) And I want you to draw me a map, as best as you can, of these
mines. The entrances, how they connect, the chasm you mentioned, the
collapsed deadfall...everything. There's no way they've had time to
do too much in the way of repair, and every bit of information we have
will help.
Sylus: Aye.
With that, they backed down the hillside and returned to the others,
and by nightfall each of the adventurers was busy preparing themselves
for tomorrow's explorations and challenges. Weapons were sharpened,
bolts checked and counted, spells reviewed, meals eaten quickly and
quietly, and bedrolls set up on the hard ground. There was no guarantee
of success or even survival on the morrow - there never was - but all of
them were veterans of this life, and they would be as prepared as anyone
possibly could be.
next: the fate of Peyton
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: 5/17/2024
notes: For anyone who's trying to keep up with the dates, here's a
brief recap:
- 6/14 midday: Belphanior talked to Orm and introduced Peyton et al
as the team that would explore the mines
- 6/17 late am: the fateful encounter with the beholder
- 6/18 afternoon: the survivors made it back to Ul-Bakak
- 6/19 evening: the reloaded group arrives back at the mine entrance
I know that usually any episode that's a multiple of 25/50/100 is
a longer one, but in this case I just wanted to simply make it a more
significant one. The remains of the first party are bolstered with
a part of Belphanior's party, and now it's time for another attempt.
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