Chapter 05: "The Bastard!"

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Session Number: 5
Date: Saturday 16 February 2008
Venue: Tammi's
PCs & Players:

Catria Rgr1 (Tammi) (kills: x goblins)
Nuff Mage1/Drd1 (Densial) (kills: none)
Sack Thf1 (Fergus) (kills: 2 goblins, Dwight!)
Sigil Ill1/Thf1 (Craig) (kills: 2 goblins)

XP Awarded: nil

crystal_cavern.jpg

Sack again gets impatient with the party's dawdling and heads off down the path, covered by the rest of the group. He spots a couple of goblins who also spot him. He turns and hurries back to the others, shouting "Goblins!" The rest of the party begin to take up defensive positions as Sack deftly darts around the group, trying to put the fighter between himself and the goblins. He does it so well, bullet-time barely does it justice.

Cat takes charge and directs the group to fall back to the much more defensible chamber with the floating pallet. We turn around at the mouth of the passageway. Cat takes point, flanked by Sigil and Sack with Nuff at the rear. A minute passes, which to Sack seems an eternity. Bored again, Sack ventures back alone to the cavern of crystals. He sees the goblins mulling around uncertainly and continues his approach, unperturbed. The exasperated others finally decide to follow, again stopping at the cavern's entrance. What Sack next sees as he continues on, however, perturbs him immensely…

The far end of the crystal cavern is lit by a glowing brazier. Standing nonchalantly in the brazier's light are several goblins and a blonde-haired human teenager wielding a long sword. The human barks a couple of commands in a guttural language, pointing at Sack with his sword!

Sack bolts back down the path towards the party, yelling "Dwight's alive, and I don't like him!" He attempts to dodge behind Cat again (evoking much sense of deja vu), but the second attempt proves far less successful than the first and Sack collapses onto the sharp crystals beside Cat. Maybe it was because he was attempting to load his crossbow at the same time…

Meanwhile, Cat dominates the pathway as crystal-wielding goblins charge at her. She literally cuts the first goblin in two, and scores a fatal critical hit against the second. The third goblin shows remarkable resolve and throws itself into the fray, only to be struck by Cat's broad sword. It manages to stay on its feet but Sigil's thrown knife finishes it off.

The human stalks down the path, bearing down on the party. Sack begins yelling obscenities - "The bastard, the bastard, he looks like he's a complete utter bastard!" Sack looses a crossbow bolt at Dwight, but hits the wrong human and Cat is injured. Argh!

Cat and Dwight face off. Cat's first attack is a critical hit for 14 points of damage, and she is likewise hit by Dwight. Cat then yells "Dwight! Stop this - we've been sent by your uncle to save you!" Dwight stops, looking curious. "Who are you?" he questions. "We're from Thrace, your uncle is worried about you and sent us to find you!" Cat continues. "Let me see you, take off your helmet," Dwight says. As Cat motions towards her leather coif, Dwight takes advantage of her apparent lack of defence and strikes! The bastard!

Cat is faltering on one hit point when Nuff shoulders his way through to expend his last healing spell upon her. Cat swings low at Dwight, hitting mightily again for a further 8 points of damage. Dwight is looking rather worse for wear. Sigil spots two goblins jumping into the pool, dropping out of sight. Sack pulls out a dagger and hurls it at Dwight. Its blade sinks deeply into Dwight's chest and he falls to the ground, lifeless.

The party regroup momentarily. Sack claims Dwight's long sword, which appears to be rather well made. Sigil cautiously creeps forward and spots three goblins cowering at the far end of the cavern near the brazier. "Goblins! Three of 'em!" he cries, covering them with his crossbow. The rest of the party close the gap. Sack approaches the goblins, long sword leading the way. He skewers the first goblin and turns towards the second. "No!" Sigil cries, torn between his hatred of the vile creatures and his revulsion at the butchering of the defenceless creature. "Speak, or die," Sack says to the next goblin, who cries out in an unfathomable tongue. It too is slaughtered.

"Wait!" Sigil barks. Sensing that moral argument will fall on deaf ears, Sigil suggests that the remaining goblin may have information. "He may be the only creature left in this complex that can confirm Dwight's identity," Sigil says. "Fine - suit yourself," counters Sack, "but be it on your head, or between your shoulderblades, if it gets loose!" Sack then heads off towards the pool of water.

Sigil wrestles with his conscience. Sack is right - the wretched creature would only be trouble. It would turn on them at the first opportunity, or bolt and alert any others. It certainly would not afford his party any of the mercy he was contemplating. "Ah! It's only a filthy goblin!" Sigil muses, and kills it without a second thought.

Sack meanwhile is scrambling down a ledged tunnel which serves as the pool's plughole. The tunnel curves gently and slopes ever downward, its rock surface smooth from the passage of the slow-flowing water. Inches deep at first, the water deepens without warning as the tunnel levels off. Sack looks below the surface and figures the depth to be about 5-6 feet. The flooded tunnel continues on, turning round yet another corner. Sack returns to the tunnel's mouth where the party waits. One exit remains, yet none of us can swim…

NOTE: Tammi is very, very sad that she has to wait a whole nuther week before allowing her character to slice & dice & completely annihilate some more goblins!!!!! Booooooo!!! (oh & she misses chocolate snaps & sausage rolls!)

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