Post by ihavetilfive on Apr 21, 2010 0:24:09 GMT -6
Or, "A Boar in Priest's Clothing"
Continuing the "In Search of the Unknown" campaign, the party begins to meet friends and influence people in the old digs of Rogahn and Zelligar.
______________________________
The Continuing Misadventures of the Down 'n Dirty, Draconian Delvers #8: When the Moon Rips Your Head Off, That's Amore!
After the extended melee with orcs, the party of Delva, Tig, and Bethesda, along with the pilgrims of Apollo, contemplated staying to rest in the kitchen, and then thought they needed a location which only had one spot in need of defending. They moved back to the entrance of the base, camping between the opening of the cave mouth and the wooden door. Setting a fire at the cave mouth, they were about to begin their watches when Jim the fighter and Farned the cleric came by.
Jim had been on personal business, and discovered the village of Providence Ridge just over three leagues' travel from the tower atop the hill in which Quasqueton is housed. He had met up with Farned when both were inspecting the top of the hill for the fallen watchtower and spied the graffiti regarding Rogahn and Zelligar which Delva had put on display. Farned revealed few details regarding his activities away from the party, and suggested they investigate the path the hilltop inspection revealed.
Upon taking to the path and tying Farned's horse to the tree in which Delva's was found, the two met up with the party, and an amnesiac Delva fought off the urge to attack Farned. Beth told Delva that while Farned could be a headache, he was generally reliable. The two also acquainted themselves with the pilgrims of Apollo. Over the course of the next hour or so, more details of the party's backgrounds were discovered.
During Farned's watch some scuttling behind the door could be heard. Upon opening it, fleeing kobolds could be heard shouting "Run! They've heard us!" The humans grabbed a torch while the demi-humans exercised caution, fearing a trap set by the scaly little dog-men. The kobolds fired off a volley of crossbow bolts, then disappeared around the second set of alcoves. A grinding of stone upon stone could be heard, but when the Tig and Delva examined the alcoves, nothing but a lead brick in one alcove corner and some chipped wood in the other alcove could be found.
Tig and Delva realized something else - the pilgrims were fleeing. Farned, himself being a cleric of Apollo (although his status could be seen as tenuous at best), fled out of the tunnel to stop them. He plead with Briette that running away is not Apollo's will. Briette and Oliver both attempted to sway Farned's mind, but he shrugged off their supplications. Turning to leave, Oliver once more petitioned Farned to come with them, and he found that he couldn't refuse.
The meddling with his will awakened something within Farned, as he looked to the sky. He saw the few clouds overhead part, and revealed the moon, full and fearsome. The beast which lay sleeping within the lecherous cleric erupted forth, as Farned became a thing of fur and fury, snapping and tearing at the bands which fastened his chainmail armor, which he flung off. His robes now in tatters, Farned eyed Briette much like a hungry wolf eyes a piece of meat. Screaming, Briette turned to escape by Farned's own horse.
Brock intervened and had taken a rare valorous action, slicing at the were-boar. The blade slashed across the chest, and the wound immediately sealed itself, showing no blood. This incensed Farned, as he attacked the pilgrim. The rest of the party soon heard the commotion and came out to see a lycanthrope in what used to be Farned's clothes.
The frenzy to which Farned was prone flashed hot, and while Jim and Tig tried to distract and reason with Farned, he tore off the head of the pilgrim, dashing it about the hillside and screaming out to Apollo. Jim, Delva, and Bethesda were horrified, and they all ran off. While the knight and the fighting-man headed across the hill, Beth ran back into the cave, disappearing from sight and dropping out of earshot. Delva soon shook off the terror although he realized his fear had loosened his bowels, while Jim ran to the point of exhaustion.
Tig, seeing that conventional weapons weren't hurting the beast, began to wrestle with it. The dwarf relied on all his combat knowledge and locked Farned into a bearhug of which a true bear would be proud; the elf charged in and smote the beast with a wolfsbane-laced sword. The blow stung, and while it began to heal, burned the boar-thing. The wolfsbane might have driven the were-beast away under normal circumstances, but considering he was securely grappled and already prone to rage, Farned's fury was restoked. He broke from Tig's grasp as a man would rend tissue paper and appeared conflicted. He seemed to warn the party to let him be, while he tried to fight off the impulse to kill them. Delva next tossed his weapon oil at the wereboar, and Farned had enough, fleeing back into the cave.
In his clouded state, Farned ran through the bonfire the party earlier set, igniting the oil and setting Farned aflame. This hurt the beast unlike iron and steel, and the party gave chase. Running in plate mail began to take its toll on the elf, who started to lose ground to Farned. Tig and Jim began to chase, but Delva said he had to excuse himself to the nearby kitchen to clean up. The booming mouths, the fleeing woman, and the burning wereboar made a fair amount of noise, attracting a wandering troglodyte. It skulked into the kitchen, taking the elf by surprise.
Farned passed a door and escaped down a hallway. Finding himself alone, he was able to will himself out of his frenzy but was still unable to perform his healing magic upon himself. The elf and the reptilian dealt blows to each other, while Tig and Jim thought that the odious nature of Delva's task caused much thrashing about.
Jim the fighter was set upon by a falling mass of thick viscous goo, catching him by surprise. It was green slime, and almost immediately ate through his scale-mail. He managed to tear off a good deal of his armor and clothes, but there were remaining globs threatening to consume the man. Tig grabbed the burning log which Jim dropped, and though the fire damaged his companion, he saved him by burning away the rest of the foul slime.
An armor-less, nearly naked and seriously wounded Jim felt it best to keep himself in the corner, while Tig checked upon the elf and found the troglodyte not only attacking his friend, but also dropped an even more potent olfactory assault in the room. The combined might of the flanking allies proved to be the end of the creature, as Tig delivered a mighty blow to the head, crumbling bone with a savage, primordial thrust. The dwarf bellowed a hearty laugh at the ensanguined victory he had borne by his hand, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Continuing the "In Search of the Unknown" campaign, the party begins to meet friends and influence people in the old digs of Rogahn and Zelligar.
______________________________
The Continuing Misadventures of the Down 'n Dirty, Draconian Delvers #8: When the Moon Rips Your Head Off, That's Amore!
After the extended melee with orcs, the party of Delva, Tig, and Bethesda, along with the pilgrims of Apollo, contemplated staying to rest in the kitchen, and then thought they needed a location which only had one spot in need of defending. They moved back to the entrance of the base, camping between the opening of the cave mouth and the wooden door. Setting a fire at the cave mouth, they were about to begin their watches when Jim the fighter and Farned the cleric came by.
Jim had been on personal business, and discovered the village of Providence Ridge just over three leagues' travel from the tower atop the hill in which Quasqueton is housed. He had met up with Farned when both were inspecting the top of the hill for the fallen watchtower and spied the graffiti regarding Rogahn and Zelligar which Delva had put on display. Farned revealed few details regarding his activities away from the party, and suggested they investigate the path the hilltop inspection revealed.
Upon taking to the path and tying Farned's horse to the tree in which Delva's was found, the two met up with the party, and an amnesiac Delva fought off the urge to attack Farned. Beth told Delva that while Farned could be a headache, he was generally reliable. The two also acquainted themselves with the pilgrims of Apollo. Over the course of the next hour or so, more details of the party's backgrounds were discovered.
During Farned's watch some scuttling behind the door could be heard. Upon opening it, fleeing kobolds could be heard shouting "Run! They've heard us!" The humans grabbed a torch while the demi-humans exercised caution, fearing a trap set by the scaly little dog-men. The kobolds fired off a volley of crossbow bolts, then disappeared around the second set of alcoves. A grinding of stone upon stone could be heard, but when the Tig and Delva examined the alcoves, nothing but a lead brick in one alcove corner and some chipped wood in the other alcove could be found.
Tig and Delva realized something else - the pilgrims were fleeing. Farned, himself being a cleric of Apollo (although his status could be seen as tenuous at best), fled out of the tunnel to stop them. He plead with Briette that running away is not Apollo's will. Briette and Oliver both attempted to sway Farned's mind, but he shrugged off their supplications. Turning to leave, Oliver once more petitioned Farned to come with them, and he found that he couldn't refuse.
The meddling with his will awakened something within Farned, as he looked to the sky. He saw the few clouds overhead part, and revealed the moon, full and fearsome. The beast which lay sleeping within the lecherous cleric erupted forth, as Farned became a thing of fur and fury, snapping and tearing at the bands which fastened his chainmail armor, which he flung off. His robes now in tatters, Farned eyed Briette much like a hungry wolf eyes a piece of meat. Screaming, Briette turned to escape by Farned's own horse.
Brock intervened and had taken a rare valorous action, slicing at the were-boar. The blade slashed across the chest, and the wound immediately sealed itself, showing no blood. This incensed Farned, as he attacked the pilgrim. The rest of the party soon heard the commotion and came out to see a lycanthrope in what used to be Farned's clothes.
The frenzy to which Farned was prone flashed hot, and while Jim and Tig tried to distract and reason with Farned, he tore off the head of the pilgrim, dashing it about the hillside and screaming out to Apollo. Jim, Delva, and Bethesda were horrified, and they all ran off. While the knight and the fighting-man headed across the hill, Beth ran back into the cave, disappearing from sight and dropping out of earshot. Delva soon shook off the terror although he realized his fear had loosened his bowels, while Jim ran to the point of exhaustion.
Tig, seeing that conventional weapons weren't hurting the beast, began to wrestle with it. The dwarf relied on all his combat knowledge and locked Farned into a bearhug of which a true bear would be proud; the elf charged in and smote the beast with a wolfsbane-laced sword. The blow stung, and while it began to heal, burned the boar-thing. The wolfsbane might have driven the were-beast away under normal circumstances, but considering he was securely grappled and already prone to rage, Farned's fury was restoked. He broke from Tig's grasp as a man would rend tissue paper and appeared conflicted. He seemed to warn the party to let him be, while he tried to fight off the impulse to kill them. Delva next tossed his weapon oil at the wereboar, and Farned had enough, fleeing back into the cave.
In his clouded state, Farned ran through the bonfire the party earlier set, igniting the oil and setting Farned aflame. This hurt the beast unlike iron and steel, and the party gave chase. Running in plate mail began to take its toll on the elf, who started to lose ground to Farned. Tig and Jim began to chase, but Delva said he had to excuse himself to the nearby kitchen to clean up. The booming mouths, the fleeing woman, and the burning wereboar made a fair amount of noise, attracting a wandering troglodyte. It skulked into the kitchen, taking the elf by surprise.
Farned passed a door and escaped down a hallway. Finding himself alone, he was able to will himself out of his frenzy but was still unable to perform his healing magic upon himself. The elf and the reptilian dealt blows to each other, while Tig and Jim thought that the odious nature of Delva's task caused much thrashing about.
Jim the fighter was set upon by a falling mass of thick viscous goo, catching him by surprise. It was green slime, and almost immediately ate through his scale-mail. He managed to tear off a good deal of his armor and clothes, but there were remaining globs threatening to consume the man. Tig grabbed the burning log which Jim dropped, and though the fire damaged his companion, he saved him by burning away the rest of the foul slime.
An armor-less, nearly naked and seriously wounded Jim felt it best to keep himself in the corner, while Tig checked upon the elf and found the troglodyte not only attacking his friend, but also dropped an even more potent olfactory assault in the room. The combined might of the flanking allies proved to be the end of the creature, as Tig delivered a mighty blow to the head, crumbling bone with a savage, primordial thrust. The dwarf bellowed a hearty laugh at the ensanguined victory he had borne by his hand, wiping the sweat from his brow.