10th Day of the Claw of winter (February): DAY SIX
Daggerford (17:40 pm):
The Works of the Green Bard:
At the top of Delfen’s tower,
Hovered a strange gate of power.
Kelson, Vicross and Sir Ly
Asked Yellowknife patiently
Just what the hell it could be.
Yellowknife, a grumpy git,
Couldn’t really give a shit
What would become of these 3 heroes
If their hit points were reduced to zeroes.
Nevertheless a little help,
To prevent said heroes being reduced to pulp
Some spells and potions? A magic trick?
A single middle finger flick?
Sir Ly does gesture to his loin:
“Come Vicross, for you something I did purloin!
Just slip your hand slowly down below,
Don’t squeeze too hard: just a friendly hello!
Concealed within this silky pouch,
A ball of milky power whirls…
Is it diamonds? No it’s pearls!”
Removing ball from velvet sack,
Never again to look back,
The wizard rises: levitate!
Up towards the mystic gate.
Followed closely by Sir Ly,
And also Kelson, reluctantly,
They pass through the mystic portal,
Are they frightened? Head of the turtle!
And now there is no turning back,
Vicross fondling pearl in sack.
Massive courtyard, danger lurking,
No time at all for dancing or twerking.
Sir Ly ahead and very well-lit,
The first one to be in the shit:
Followed at a safe distance,
By Kelson, Vicross, invisible to naked glance.
A chamber with overgrown columns,
Sir Ly all fingers and all thumbs,
Not ready for a sneaky thing:
A monkey-headed demon wearing bling.
And so Sir Ly strikes too little avail,
A monkey-headed demon (Gareth Bale?)
“Upon thy head a monkey pox!
Time to pull up thy monkey socks!”
And so at last the simian goes down,
With a Martin Keown frown;
Or resemblance to Peter Reid?
Smash that fucker’s monkey heed!
Demon monkeys gone bananas,
Kelson might as well wear pyjamas!
Arrows always seem to miss,
While the ape’s just take the piss!
Vicross wonders what he’ll find
If he looks into monkey mind:
Philosophy, physics, economics?
He’s clearly read too many comics!
But demon monkeys must be smart!
Cast ESP: was that a fart?
What does he hear without an ear?
That’s stinky brainwave diarrhoea!
A demon slips into the passage,
Like a sneaky monkey mirage:
Sir Ly: “I’ll get that dirty demon ape;
Before the heathen can escape!”
And off he trots, his sword aflame,
Trying hard not to be lame.
Alas his efforts are for nought:
An INT of 6 is monkey thought!
Leave the room! A strange compulsion…
“Shut that door!” He feels revulsion!
Back into the columned chamber:
Kelson, Vicross go back to look for danger!
Is this where their story will end?
Or will they just go round the bend?
The bling-monkeys now wear the trousers,
Robbing, stealing like micky mousers.
Bringing everything to a halt,
But of course it’s not their fault:
These chimpanzees are on ice thin!
We’ll turn them yet into our victim!
Daggerford (17:40 pm):
Delfen ‘Yellowknife’ Ondabarl knows of one of the powders that Sir Ly and Vicross have in a Red bag, ‘Powder of Coagulation’ which:
When placed on an open wound, a pinch of this yellow powder stops all bleeding and heals 1d6 hit points of damage. Each pouch or packet contains 3 pinches. A blow tube contains one use, but stops bleeding and heals 1d4 hit points for all creatures in the area of effect (10’ feet range & 10’ radius).
The other powder was Black and an offensive item.
Delfen then allows Vicross to choose a Magical Scroll from his table which contained:
2nd Level: ESP, Invisibility, Mirror Image
3rd Level: Hold Person, Lightning bolt, Melf’s Enormous Meteors
Delfen ‘Yellowknife’ Ondabarl also provided 3 ‘Potions of Extra-Healing’, which Sir Ly took his immediately and then was given one of the 3 from Kelson Darktreader. Sir Ly remembers, as gifts were being handed out, the Large Pearl in the Magic User/Cleric’s pouch and mentions it to Vicross. Sir Ly believes it to be a ‘Pearl of Power’ just like the ones Mirafir has. Delfen confirms this.
Delfen ‘Yellowknife’ Ondabarl then cast ‘Invisibility 10’ Radius’ on Vicross and ‘Levitate’ on Sir Ly, Vicross and Kelson. Sir Ly, Vicross and Kelson levitate up and enter through the ‘Invisible Portal’ in the sky above Delfen’s Tower (5).
Under Castle Daggerford With Delfen (20:15 pm):
Beyond the Portal Sir Ly, Vicross and Kelson, in that order, emerge into a triangular shaped chamber which was lightly covered by flora and bioluminescent fungi on the floors. 2 Wells stand in the middle of the chamber.
Vicross: “Ahhh, I know what this is.”
Sir Ly: “Yes indeed it is.”
Vicross: “Do you know what this is?”
Sir Ly: “Yes I know what this is.”
Kelson Darktreader: “What is what is?”
Sir Ly: “It is what it is Kelson, right Vicross?”
Vicross: “That it is Paladin.”
Ignoring the corridors to the North and South Sir Ly, Vicross and Kelson then move to the double doors to the West of the chamber. Kelson then looks for Tracks while Sir Ly listens at the doors. No tracks and so Sir Ly then pushes open one of the doors which are unlocked. The Adventurers choose to active the ‘Sending Stones’ before they go any further.
They pass by a corridor with 2 doors on the North and South walls. The Adventures check 2 of the rooms randomly and find all organic items had perished many centuries ago, leaving only metal items.
Stairs lead downwards and Sir Ly, Vicross and Kelson, in that order, move down. Sir Ly, having ‘Flamed-On’ his Magical Sword had moved out of the ‘Invisibility 10’ Radius’ and was sheading light for the party. At the bottom Sir Ly found a small chamber with 2 corridors heading North and South. Sir Ly headed South followed by Vicross and Kelson. Sir Ly is reminded of The Laughing Hollow before he steps into a huge chamber which is covered by vines and other plants. The effect of the flora about the chamber making the large columns of the chamber appear to be immense spreading trees of a large forest. Sir Ly can just make out a corridor in the North and one to the East. Sir Ly elects to head south, into the chamber, and investigate the Eastern corridor. Vicross and Kelson follow up until the corridor leading into the chamber but do not enter.
Sir Ly looks down the corridor which stretches off into the distance and out of the range of his Swords light. Suddenly he hears the noise of crashing flora and low rumblings of 2 creatures attacking from above. Delfen aid us all.
Sir Ly turns to see:
Kelson Darktreader: “Bar-lgura, they are Demons from the Dark Realm.”
The Bar-lgura is a hulking, brutish creature that roams the Abyss.
A Bar-lgura looks like an orangutan. Their fur is a deep, red dish brown and their skin, where exposed, is greyish brown they have frightening visages and six digits per limb, sharp, wicked claws extending from each digit. They shamble along the ground using both arms and legs for movement, but prefer to move among trees, rafters, vines, for they have increased movement there.
Sir Ly fight the 2 Bar-lgura’s whiles Kelson becomes visible to aid the Paladin by firing his Elven Long Bow hitting the Demon nearest him twice with his ‘Magical Arrows’. The battle continues then Kelson is targeted as the Cleric/Druid/Ranger Spell, ‘Entangle’ is cast at the Ranger.
Meanwhile, Kelson misses with his first Arrow but hits with his second; whist Sir Ly kills the Demon Bar-lgura left standing before him.
Another Bar-lgura is on the column in front of Kelson and Vicross and it jumps and attacks Kelson as the Ranger ‘Levitate’ up and out of the ‘Entangled’ vines on the floor. Vicross stays ‘Invisible’.
Vicross takes out his new Spell Scroll from Delfen and casts ‘ESP’ from it. Kelson stays ‘Levitated’ as the third Bar-lgura, having been hit by the Ranger’s Falchion, had attacked and jumped into the corridor next to the ‘Invisible’ Vicross.
Vicross tries to listen to the Demons thoughts but cannot comprehend what it was thinking. Kelso having dropped his Eleven Longbow now drew both his weapons and faced the Demon Bar-lgura, avoiding the ‘Entangle’ vines. The Demon Bar-lgura turns ‘Invisible’.
Sir Ly uses his ‘Ring of Shooting Stars’ to cast from it ‘Faerie Fire’ at the mouth of the corridor, the Spells effects outlining the Demon Bar-lgura with a pale glowing light. The third Demon Bar-lgura then leaped out into the chamber and onto the vine tree column, some 30’ – 40’ feet up.
Sir Ly then moves back into the large chamber, hugging the wall and head along the South wall eventually coming across a large opening heading down, possibly stairs.
Sir Ly then hears the noise of a door opening in the Eastern corridor.
Sir Ly then move to investigate the Eastern corridor, Kelson moves, while ‘Levitated’, along the wall towards Sir Ly followed some ways by Vicross who was still ‘Invisible’. Sir Ly moves down the Eastern corridor to the door which is unlocked and finds a room full of clutter and items of varying occupations. Kelson keeps an eye on the corridor and large chamber. Sir Ly takes out his ‘Continual Light’ Sling bullet, Vicross having another, and drops it in the centre of the room. The Paladin then communicates to Vicross that he will look for the creature that entered.
Kelson looks for tracks and finds no Demon Bar-lgura tracks, while the Paladin checks the room with his Detect Evil ability. No luck.
Sir Ly: “Nothing hear, let us move forth,”
Kelson and Sir Ly leave with Sir Ly closing the door behind him and leaving the ‘Continual Light’ Sling bullet on the floor in the middle of the room.
Sir Ly then returns back into the large chamber, hugging the wall and head along the South wall back to the large opening heading downwards. When out of the darkness another Demon Bar-lgura appeared, looked at the Paladin and then ran back down from whence he came.
Sir Ly: “This is a trap which I will not fall for this time. I will not follow it.”
Sir Ly informs Vicross and when he realises where the Wizard was insists that the door be closed or he would do so himself.
Meanwhile, Vicross and Kelson investigated the room, to which Sir Ly insisted on closing, Vicross suspecting foul play had befallen the Paladin. Vicross calls forth his ‘Unseen Servant’ and using the Magical Power stored within his new ‘Peal of Power’. The Wizard then commands it to retrieve Sir Ly’s ‘Continual Light’ Sling bullet.
The forth Demon Bar-lgura appeared again but this time ran out past the Paladin and leapt up onto one of the leafy columns.
Sir Ly: “I wasn’t expecting that.”
Vicross: “We need to find the Wizard who is casting these Spell.”
Sir Ly: “Or Cleric.”
Kelson: “These foul Demon Bar-lgura Devils serve a master and are the muscle for them.”
Sir Ly, Vicross and Kelson then agree to search the Northern most corridor by ‘Levitating’ where needed past the ‘Entangle’ Spell area. Sir Ly move North along the corridor and can see it ends at a spiral staircase and has 2 door, one on the East wall and one on the West.
Sir Ly: “You seem to know of these creatures Kelson Darktreader, tell me more of them.”
Kelson: “I will indeed as these ‘Devils’ must be banished back to the Abyss from which they came and free will be the Sword Coast and all Faerûn from their corruption and Evil.”