Date: 06/30/20
Location: Virtual 06:30 PM EST 11:00 PM
Club: WARP – Established 1976
Guild: VARP – Established 7.04.78 Vermont Association of Role Players
GARP – Established 3.15.18 GaryCon Association of Role Players
Summary:
As the party partook in the mid-day meal the group was in awe of the most excellent chicken Marsalas had acquired, which is named Cluck Norris. Cluck Norris has the wondrous ability to retrieve arrows once shot. All agreed that this most Marvelous foul’s life must be protected at all costs. As the group enjoyed their meal Marsalas took extra time to make it clear to Brazz and Lorone’ that Cluck was a party member NOT food. The Hobbit Marric felt a need to explore the adjoining room where feasts were served. An oddity drew him to the far wall where he discovered what looked like a round hobbit door. Marric reported his find to the group. After Cyrus and Brazz finished eating (their 6th meal of the day) the group followed Marric to the door. The small Wooden door had 2 Hobbit handholds that Marric was able to quickly manipulate and the door slid down, revealing a narrow corridor 4 feet wide and 5 feet tall. Any member of the group that was taller than 5 and a half feet would have trouble traveling or fighting in this corridor. Marric volunteered to lead the group into the passage which was noticeably colder than the feast hall. The passage led to a 40X40 foot room that was 15 ft lower than the passage. Inside of the room was a strange mechanical creature resembling a 7ft long Scorpion complete with metalac claws. This creature obviously was derived from forbidden Magic that only a high-level wizard could manipulate. The corridor continued on the other side of the room but it would take great skill to jump cross.
Marric being both small and nimble easily made the jump across without disturbing the Scorpion of metal which for the most part remained still. Another Hobbit door revealed on the East side of the passage. Cyrus and Eliadel also successfully jumped across to join Marric in continuing to explore the passage. The rest of the party felt the risk of failing the jump and disturbing the Construct was too great to continue. Marric opened the Hobbit door exactly as he had the first door and found a Brass ladder descending 40 feet down into the dark. Rather than explore what lies below the 3 continue down the passage to find it ended with broken chains embedded in the wall. The passage continued both East and West. At the end of the Westward passage a green rippling light seemed to hold a portal. Bones of some sort of snakelike creature were found in the corridor to the east. Cyrus takes a handful of bones and throws them into the portal where they quickly disappeared. It was decided that leaving the Portal alone was the best thing to do and the 3 followed the passage to the East where it soon turned to the South. Ascending stairs are discovered but they are of odd shape. The stairs are wide and low they go up 30 feet and end in a wall with a door that is not a Hobbit door. Marric is able to find a pivot point in the door and it moves down. To the party’s surprise they see the Mechanical Scorpion and it begins to move towards them. The Scorpion is fast, so fast it shoots bolts of energy from its tail striking Marsalas and doing grave harm to the Ranger. Marsalas being the brave ranger that he is leaps down upon the creature and embeds his broadsword into the creature’s tail. The creature is distracted as it reaches back with his pincher and again does damage to Marsalis. Cyrus uses his enchanted Axe and dishes big damage and Eliadel jumps down landing on top of the Scorpitron, is able to finish off the wounded creature producing steam out of the creature as it slumps to the ground. Cyrus is able to pry 2 large gems from the creature’s eyes as Eliadel passes a healing potion to Marsalis to help him recover from the battle. The creature was quickly dragged to the side where it curled up upon itself.
The invigorated party decides to go down the ladder which revealed a 40ft hallway which ended in a wall with a glowing strip of light. The party continues 20 feet down the hallway to get a better look at the light. The light seems to be a window or a mirror of some sort which is 4 feet wide and 6 feet tall suspended a foot off the floor. There is a decorative white skull of some sort of reptile in the upper right corner. Now that the party is close Eiadel hears a different voice in his head. they can see a Fey woman holding what appears to be a holy symbol. She is in Chain mail wearing a Winged helm with a bandoleer filled with what look to be bottles of potions. She is surrounded in green flames and she is screaming in pain.
Eliadel moves closed and for a brief moment touches the mirror and immediately hears a voice in his head. telling the tale of how the warriors party was killed by a trapped chest they were attempting to remove gold and a wand. Eliadel feels the woman is dying. At that moment the woman vanishes and Cyrus with a rope tied to him appears to take her place. Marsalis rushes to the portal and sees a rope going into it tied off to the broken chains in the middle of the hallway. Marsalas immediately decides to pull on the rope hoping to bring Cyrus out of the portal. It works and Cyrus is saved. As Cyrus is retrieved from the trap Eliadel hears a dark sinister voice in his head “Ye hath been warned. Ye are trifling above yourself. Ye will now be hunted”
As the party regroups Eliadel hears metal hitting the wall down a hallway that has yet to be explored. Eliadel and Brazz go down the corridor and discover a piece of the ground has collapsed. What looked to have been a 60X60 stone worked room is now covered with skulls and bones freshly cleared of all flesh. Metalic spheres with appendages on them are buzzing around the room. Some of the spheres appear to have blood on them some even have flesh on them. Marric spots a large black open chest in the room. There are brass ore locks on each end and the poles scattered about that he surmises were used to carry the chest. Inside the chest it appears there are bar ingots, helms, and lots of other riches. At the very top is a wand.
The party is puzzled as to how to retrieve the chest and all its riches as the spheres seem quite deadly. Marsalis offers his grappling hook to Cyrus so he can attach it to his rope to try and drag the chest over and up the wall. With great skill Cyrus is able to throw the rope and snag the chest. The chest is too heavy for Cyrus to pull alone so Eliadle offers to use his great strength to help pull. The chest is moved through the sea of skulls to the wall, but the party is afraid if they pull it up the wall all of the treasure will fall out. Marric offers to have the party lower him down the wall with a rope tied to his waist to retrieve the treasure.
As Marric is lowered to the chest 25 of the 100 or so spheres quickly start to move towards the Hobbit. Marric decides to grab the wand first but before he is able to the Mighty Cluck Norris swoops down from above and snatches the wand from the chest and delivers it to Marsalas. Marric feels cheated but quickly sees that the treasure is not worth his life and screams to be pulled up immediately. Brazz now adding his immense strength to the pull ensured that Marric was instantly pulled to safety. With a Yo Yo-like snap Eli cracks the rope and returns Marric. The Party decides it’s time to go!!
The party returns to the inn and discovers how much warmer it is. The also discover that their skin coloring is a bit grey now. It is around 10am now and Ertimai and Dolmir have returned from their training. Ertimai explains she now has the ability to speak with animals and starts to ask Loraine the Raven questions. The Loraine tells a tale of the history of Thunder mountain and how inhuman entities were set loose to run rampant in the halls of Thunder Mountain. Etimei Does a history check on the Deep Ones and discovers they rose from the depths of the water to impregnate the townswomen in order to take over the towns.
The party enjoys some stew for lunch which is made mostly from Sahuagin recently captured in the lake. All of the suspected magic items are placed in a pile and it is discovered that both the found wands along with the nuts and silver ring glow brightly signifying strong magic. The horn starts to glow then fades only to start to glow again. It is obviously magic but the magic may be wearing off.
After finishing the meal and seeing their skin color had returned to normal, the group once again decides to explore the passages that Marric discovered only to hear a voice after entering them that they “Have been warned”. Choosing discretion over valor the party exited the passage and quickly shut the Hobbit Door.