Just a quick side note, we're five sessions into this adventure as of the time of me typing this post so as you may imagine - there'll soon be a delay in proceedings for new posts once I get through these.
So we rejoin our party, cold and confused in a stone cell with a strong wooden door. There are many a mixed race and a certain mushroom telepathically driving everyone insane. However are the intrepid group to escape?
Image source:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=72065&d=1448344011
So we rejoin our party, cold and confused in a stone cell with a strong wooden door. There are many a mixed race and a certain mushroom telepathically driving everyone insane. However are the intrepid group to escape?
Its gruelling work this, just hammering solid stone with a blunt pick. I am not even sure what we are supposed to be digging for - we're in the Underdark for Pete sake. Maybe it's just a way to keep us tired so we don't try anything to escape. Helga seems to be enjoying herself though, the Drow just keep putting larger and larger rocks in front of her and timing how long it takes her to get through it. The most confusing thing is every day, they have left a pick next to Stool the mushroom; I am not entirely sure what they are expecting him to do with it. Although the humans watching us from up above appear to have a mushroom with arms - they refer to this creature as 'Toad' - the pitiful creatures have never seen a frog.
One day much later into our capture, from a walkway up above we see arguing and squabbling between some of the more elite Drow - or so it would seem from their armour. The gas lady broke them up and shouted at them both. They proceeded to raise a single fist each, bobbing it in the air - paper beats rock - and the left-hand Drow skulks away. At the time, I thought nothing of it and got back to my rock.
Back in the cell, we begin to discuss escape plans. None of us wants to live the rest of our time here, nor do the Drow seem the type to give us anything more interesting to do. I feel this is my time to reveal my secret. I remove the rag of a shirt I have been wearing to unveil an elaborate network or tattoos, a prison map cunningly disguised as a mural. I had based it off of a play I saw back home, about a man who is deliberately sent to prison to break his brother free - it is unfortunately at this point I learn that the blueprint I have copied is fictional. I should have realised when I couldn't find any rickey wooden walkways precariously connecting these stalagmites on my abdomen.
Jim Jar sheepishly approaches, not hiding the fact he was listening to our conversation. He says he can help - if we agree to help break him free. He explains how Jorlan, the gas ladies now ex-boyfriend had been attacked by a Black Pudding on patrol, destroying his dashing good looks. He tried to win back her affection but was unable to win in the oldest of traditional - a bout of rock, paper, scissors. Whilst he is a gallant fighter, he always leads with rock. Jim Jar has it on good authority that Jorlen is patrolling the cells today and we could try and convince him to set us free to get revenge!
Jorlen approaches, and we make an oddly convincing argument for a party of very antisocial people with neutral or negative charisma bonuses. We even managed to convince him to slide the hatch back on the door to see what the Black Pudding had done to his face - it honestly looked like he just had food around his mouth. Jorlen said he would delay the guard rotation and slip us a key - what we did from there was up to us.
Now we had to decide what to do with the rest of the group. First, we sent Helga to distract Stool, the last thing we need is a telepathic mushroom child telling the whole group before we know what was happening, let alone tipping off the guards. Many ideas were passed around. We could just not tell them, leave the door open and go about our merry way and allow fate and natural selection takes its course. We could share, get them involved and band our power together. The real thorn in the group was the Drow prisoner who was sent to join us for murder. I find their sense of justice ironic as they attacked and imprisoned us against our will but murder is a step too far. We decide to share - hopefully, these possibly crucial NPC's die before we do.
We await, watching the cell door willing the hatch to open, and for our shiny little piece of freedom to fall to the ground. It slowly slides open, a hand enters and releases the key. Jim Jar scrambles over and flings the door open to a war zone. If Jorlan did this, then he definitely delivered or has perfect timing. There we giant creatures buzzing and darting about the air, grabbing Drow and flinging them off into the safety nets below, with the friendly spider workers ready to recover you to safety. At least that's what I am telling myself, not that they are falling foul to the spider's venom and slowly being digested alive... That's not a thing.
We darted across the first wooden bridge towards the armoury to try and retrieve our stuff on the off chance the gits haven't sold it all at a market - not at all forgetting about all of the other people we met in the cell. I pull out my iron bar which I found have been miraculously hiding nowhere inappropriate as we enter to see two Drow guards getting into their armour. I ran over and bonk one on the head, although he seems much more worried about where the bar came from. Rainbow strides forward with his hands out in front glowing with the embers fire and it erupts towards our foes, shaping it around me. Quornion, being much calmer and thoughtful fills the room with smoke so no one can see anything as the rest of the party darts up a ladder only to find a much nastier looking Drow with the word 'elite' tattooed on his arm. How ever would we know he was any stronger? The blows came through the smoke, giving me enough time to duck and dodge before heading up the ladder to find some equipment.
Rainbow being the friendly wizard he is, steps further into the room and casts thunderwave sending one Drow flying into the wall and to his doom - but also Jim Jar out of the door and onto the rickety bridge. The other, a little luckier, survives and runs forward stabbing Rainbow's amazing technicoloured prisoner rag - his feelings are hurt. Up the ladder, we have equipped ourselves with shortswords and hand crossbows to combat our foe. What entailed was very much a circle of violence, centred on the Drow - almost as if being stabbed by a smaller sword lets you not die as quickly, who knew? Rainbow makes piece with the last Drow and offers a hand of friendship which is calmly accepted, Jim Jar enters the and stamps on Rainbow's foot screaming at him to be more careful! Unfortunately startled, Rainbow channels lightning through his outstretched handing putting the file nail in the coffin ending the encounter.
We finished up collecting that sweet sweet loot - sorry - gearing ourselves as best we can for the adventure ahead. We head back out to assess the situation, fortunately, the flying demons are still very much the main focus of attention despite the Drow being very much aware we have escaped. What are the choices? The lift at the centre of the camp is only operated from the top, so that's out. The camp seems to just continue stalagmite to stalagmite. The waterfall... Well, that appears just to lead to a rocky death below. I guess that leaves us with one option - as a great friend once told me - "all you have to do is follow the spiders". Come to think of it - I don't think he was such a great friend as we all vaulted over the edge to the webbing below.
The spiders are everywhere, excitedly grabbing with their weird little mouth arms - natural selection makes some pretty disgusting creations. They scuttle and scary, unfortunately snaring myself and Helga in their web. Rainbow jumps forward casting another thunderwave sending a spider off of the web into the black lake below. I struggle and struggle, as my comrades gallantly hit the spiders with slippers and rolled up maps. Helga breaks free and jumps, as does Jim Jar firing bolts as he fell. Quornion assists with breaking me free and we both finally jump towards the water below. We enter with a variety of entries - cannon balls, belly flops - into the shallows in Helga's case - lucky she's double 'ard. I make a perfect entry, shoals of fish forming into series of the number 10; because clearly, the most useful time to roll a 20 is at the end of the night when you have full health. An ooze begings to approach along the lake floor, but looks up to see the humans around the large table becoming sleepy and like a true gentlemen, skulks off to kill someone else...
We darted across the first wooden bridge towards the armoury to try and retrieve our stuff on the off chance the gits haven't sold it all at a market - not at all forgetting about all of the other people we met in the cell. I pull out my iron bar which I found have been miraculously hiding nowhere inappropriate as we enter to see two Drow guards getting into their armour. I ran over and bonk one on the head, although he seems much more worried about where the bar came from. Rainbow strides forward with his hands out in front glowing with the embers fire and it erupts towards our foes, shaping it around me. Quornion, being much calmer and thoughtful fills the room with smoke so no one can see anything as the rest of the party darts up a ladder only to find a much nastier looking Drow with the word 'elite' tattooed on his arm. How ever would we know he was any stronger? The blows came through the smoke, giving me enough time to duck and dodge before heading up the ladder to find some equipment.
Rainbow being the friendly wizard he is, steps further into the room and casts thunderwave sending one Drow flying into the wall and to his doom - but also Jim Jar out of the door and onto the rickety bridge. The other, a little luckier, survives and runs forward stabbing Rainbow's amazing technicoloured prisoner rag - his feelings are hurt. Up the ladder, we have equipped ourselves with shortswords and hand crossbows to combat our foe. What entailed was very much a circle of violence, centred on the Drow - almost as if being stabbed by a smaller sword lets you not die as quickly, who knew? Rainbow makes piece with the last Drow and offers a hand of friendship which is calmly accepted, Jim Jar enters the and stamps on Rainbow's foot screaming at him to be more careful! Unfortunately startled, Rainbow channels lightning through his outstretched handing putting the file nail in the coffin ending the encounter.
We finished up collecting that sweet sweet loot - sorry - gearing ourselves as best we can for the adventure ahead. We head back out to assess the situation, fortunately, the flying demons are still very much the main focus of attention despite the Drow being very much aware we have escaped. What are the choices? The lift at the centre of the camp is only operated from the top, so that's out. The camp seems to just continue stalagmite to stalagmite. The waterfall... Well, that appears just to lead to a rocky death below. I guess that leaves us with one option - as a great friend once told me - "all you have to do is follow the spiders". Come to think of it - I don't think he was such a great friend as we all vaulted over the edge to the webbing below.
The spiders are everywhere, excitedly grabbing with their weird little mouth arms - natural selection makes some pretty disgusting creations. They scuttle and scary, unfortunately snaring myself and Helga in their web. Rainbow jumps forward casting another thunderwave sending a spider off of the web into the black lake below. I struggle and struggle, as my comrades gallantly hit the spiders with slippers and rolled up maps. Helga breaks free and jumps, as does Jim Jar firing bolts as he fell. Quornion assists with breaking me free and we both finally jump towards the water below. We enter with a variety of entries - cannon balls, belly flops - into the shallows in Helga's case - lucky she's double 'ard. I make a perfect entry, shoals of fish forming into series of the number 10; because clearly, the most useful time to roll a 20 is at the end of the night when you have full health. An ooze begings to approach along the lake floor, but looks up to see the humans around the large table becoming sleepy and like a true gentlemen, skulks off to kill someone else...
Image source:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=72065&d=1448344011
Comments
Post a Comment