While exploring a troll cave, Alejandro perishes. Later a pirate's lair is found.
Score: 1060 | 3/15/14 |
Eager to profit from Alejandro's Melting of the Ettin's heart, Khal and Alejandro reminded Zia that she must now fulfill her end of the bargain: to lead them to the pirate's treasure. She led them, along with the cleric Elrik out of the village and past a cemetary. After about a mile they crossed an old bridge with a burned out wagon on it. Zia's ghost could be heard crying, as this is where the ettin had set her wagon on fire twenty years ago, after trying to convince the witchdoctor to reverse the curse on the village. She finally showed them the entrance to a cave. It was about 6 o'clock in the evening, and the sun hadn't quite set yet. Zia warned the two that a terrible troll lived in the cave, but that if they waited until night, the troll would leave to go hunting for goats on Signal Hill to the west. She also warned them that the walls and ceilings inside the caves were weak and prone to collapse. Zia said her goodbyes and departed to return to her body and rest in peace. But the three were eager to enter the cave, and thought little of the troll, and so entered the cave immediately, instead of waiting until nightfall for the troll to leave to go hunting.
They lit a torch and entered the caves, Khal in the lead. They crossed a pool of water about 5 feet deep and began exploring. The caves seemed to go on for quite a way, and their way was blocked by water in numerous places. Not wanting to risk crossing water, they explored the parts they could without doing so. There were several passages which they couldn't get to because they were full of rubble from collapsed ceilings.
The Death of A Friend
Eventually, they got to a dank room with mushrooms and all kinds of fungal growths on the ceilings and walls. They proceeded into the room. Then heard a loud scream. Figuring it to be a screacher, they ran back the way they came in and quickly left the area. Then they heard it. The grunts and growls of some kind of horrible monster. It was coming there way. So they hid. When it had passed Alejandro and Elrik, but before it got to Khal, the three jumped out and surprised it, attacking it from front and back. The troll was wounded badly, but it finally got its bearings and turned around and attacked Alejandro. It clawed Alejandro with both claws and bit him. Then it rended him apart. Alejandro was dead.
But Khal and Elrik fought on. But when it was the troll's time to attack, it attacked the cleric, and clawed and ripped him apart as well. No longer having the ability to flank the troll, Khal did only minor damage to the troll, though it was almost dead. The troll got its turn and attacked Khal, but alas, only one claw struck him, so it was not able to rend Khal as it had done to his friends. Finally, Khal killed the vicious beast. Sweat and blood dripped down Khal's face as he looked down upon his lifeless friend, Alejandro.
Khal chopped off the head of the troll and took his dead companions out of the caves one by one. He hid Elrik's body in some nearby bushes. He carried Alejandro's body back to the boat and dropped the head of the troll at the feet of the sailors. Eventually, they went went back to get Elrik's body. By then it was dark, but they decided to go back to the caves that night.
Return to the Caves
Esterkan, the Greenwood's captain, and Masantol, the ship's yeoman, donned their armor and followed Khal back to the caves. Masantol was ordered to stay outside the cave and return for help if they didn't come out by sunrise.
The Pirate's Chamber
Khal and Esterkan entered the caves and once again tried to avoid crossing water whenever possible. They discovered a chamber with the skeleton of a man buried in rubble from a collapsed ceiling. Then they found their way back to the room with the shrieker and killed it. With all dry passages checked, they finally decided to cross an 8 foot deep pool of water at the northern end of the cavern complex. They took off their armor and gear and swam across to the other side. It was then that Esterkan took note of a scar with three superimposed hands on Khal's right shoulder, but spoke nothing of it.
The two adventurers saw a small chamber, lit with an eery blue light, up ahead. They approached cautiously and discovered a treasure chest on the opposite wall lit with a 6 foot diameter half-circle of blue light. A passageway in the right far corner led out of the room. Khal approached the exit in the corner and found that the passage led steeply upward as it left the chamber. A rope lie along the length of the passage and ended inside the chamber they were in. Esterkan took his place as Khal moved back toward the chest. After searching the chest all over for traps and finding none, Khal finally tried to open the chest. He unlocked it, but as soon as began to open it a loud ghostly voice was heard echoing from the steep passageway in the corner. Here is what it said:
Oh I am the ghost of Adilrold
And I cannot rest until
Someone finds the gold of the pirate bold
That's hidden under the hill.
With the Dagger of Pall
Bluebottle did me betray
To spring this trap I must stay
Rubble will fall
So tis best to get out of the way!
Just then a loud rumbling sound came from the steep passageway in the corner. Desperately trying to save their skins (and the treasure), Khal began sliding the chest toward the entrance to the chamber. But it was awkward, as both handles had been shorn off. He managed to slide it about halfway across the room, when suddenly a huge boulder about 8 feet in diameter comes crashing into the room from the steep passageway in the corner. Both Esterkan and Khal managed to jump out of the way before getting hit, but the chest was clipped by the huge rock. The boulder continued until it crashed into the wall near the entrance, causing the ceiling to collapse in about a 10 foot radius around the impact point, blocking the entrance with rubble.
A Way Out?
Khal and Esterkan, the entrance being blocked, began looking for a way out. How terrible it would be to be so rich with gold and other treasures, but not able to spend it because you are trapped! Khal climbed up the steep passageway from which the boulder came. When he got to the top he found two things: the rope which went up the passage was attached to a 6 inch wooden stake which had obviously held the boulder in its place. And a body face down with a dagger in its back. Khal removed the dagger and put it in his boot. But there was no way out from here. A search for secret doors was done in vain. When Khal returned to the main chamber, he found Esterkan looking at the blue half-circle of light on the wall. After studying it for a few minutes and the hole from which the light shone, Esterkan was convinced that the light was that of Nevea, the gas giant planet around which the world of Erona orbited. But there was no way to get to this hole as the ceiling was 20 feet high, and one would have to climb upside down on the ceiling to get to it.
Bluebottle's Booty
Stumped on how to get out, the two decided to admire the treasure they would never get to spend. Among the treasure was a small box with a feather inside. A small note inside, which Esterkan read aloud, said “Speak Pigeon Raskilion, and send a message to anyone.” Just then the feather transformed into a pigeon, which fluttered around and then settled on Esterkan's shoulder. A small scroll and pen was attached to its feet. After debating how they could explain what had happened to them and how they could be rescued on the tiny scroll, Khal and Esterkan decided to keep looking in the treasure chest. They found about 100 rings, five of which had precious stones in them; clerical vestmests in-laid with gold markings, a chain shirt, a high quality mandolin, a spyglass, a climber's kit, a fancy short sword and rapier, a potion, an everburning torch, a bag with a fuzz ball inside it, 600 crowns, 5000 shillings, and a black candle.
Up and Out
Khal used the climbing kit to reach the hole, then climbed up a long sloped chimney toward the blue light of Nevea. When he reached the top, the hole through which the light passed was only about a foot in diameter, too small to fit through. So Khal used the pick in his climber's kit to chip away at the hole. Finally breaking through, Khal managed to pull all the treasure along with Esterkan out through the chimney. They found themselves outside only a few hundred yards from the witchdoctor's house at the top of a cliff. They slowly crept down the hill and back to ship, treasure in hand. They picked up Masantol along the way.
Farewell to Friends
The next morning the ship was ready to depart. The villagers, along with the ettin, came down to the beach to say farewell. An Isabeq cleric named Ibedrider from the village arranged with Esterkan for passage back to the mainland in exchange for blessing the trip and identifying the items found from Bluebottle's treasure. The crew boarded and set sail back towards Arindel.
When they were out of the harbor and out to sea, Ibedrider prepared for a burial at sea for Alejandro and Elrik, which included wrapping the bodies with seaweed and weighing them down with mud-filled shells. Before casting the bodies overboard, Ibedrider turned to Khal, “Would you like to say a few words about Alejandro?"
"Aye" said Khal.
You were my friend, when few friends were to be found........
You brought levity to dire circumstances, when smiles were naught..
You were bold, when only cowardice was expected......
My flank is now open without you. I'll miss you, friend..."
Khal fought back some tears.
"Spoken like a bard..." said Esterkan, who fought back a tear as well. Ibedrider then exclaimed "I commend you to the deep!” as he pushed both bodies overboard.
The Water Elemental Returns
After identifying the magic items in Bluebottle's treasure the next day at sea, the Greenwood was attacked again by a water elemental. Ibedrider, the Isabeq cleric, quickly went topside and with the wave of his trident commanded the water elemental to go back to the deep and let the ship pass. The crew began to cheer Ibedrider, but he stopped them, saying, “Do not cheer me, cheer Isabeq, for it was her power not mine that saved your ship today.”
Dreams
On the fourth night at sea, Khal had a dream in which he was talking with Laroen the Shaman of the Badlands. It was a scene from Khal's past in which Laroen was telling him of her dreams. But the dream was only visual, so Khal could not tell what she was saying. Then the scene faded to a city alleyway. A manhole cover at the end of the alley was issuing forth steam. Suddenly the manhole cover was lifted up and a plump man with red hair and red robes climbed out of the manhole. Then a second identical man climbed out. Then a third. Plump red-haired men in red robes kept coming out and they were coming toward Khal. Khal woke up in a sweat the next morning to the call, “Land Ho!”
Esterkan explained to Khal that the ship was a bit off course and needed to head north up the Feral Coast past the Badlands to get to Arindel. The captain was very worried because he had to get to Arindel that day for a court hearing involving Bluebottle's attempted mutiny of the Greenwood or else Bluebottle might be released.
As they passed the Olone Beach, where Alejandro disembarked once upon a time to smuggle some goods to Invidia with the help of the Mercati, Esterkan noticed through his new spyglass some people on the beach jumping up and down waving their arms at the passing ship. He asked Khal if he would like to take a look. A sinking feeling came upon Khal as he took the spyglass, remembering one of the dreams that Laroen had told him many months ago. In this dream, Laroen had seen people dressed in rags jumping up and down waving their arms as a ship passed by without stopping. And as Khal looked through the spyglass, that's what he saw, except the ship that was passing by was the Greeenwood – the ship he was on! Furthermore, one of the strandeds was his old companion, Mouse, whom he had lost back at the Battle of Tamal, in which the Mercati were overrun by Baron Imoldo and his allies.
The Art of Persuasion
Khal learned many things from his lost companion Alejandro, including the art of persuasion. And now was the time to put it to use. Khal implored Esterkan to turn the ship around to rescue the stranded people on the beach. But the captain was deadset against it, having already lost time in getting back to Arindel for Bluebottle's trial. Khal told Esterkan that one of the strandeds was a friend of his. Only when Khal offered the use of Raskilion the Pigeon to send word ahead to the judge in Bluebottle's case did Esterkan reluctantly order the ship turned around.
Fate Fulfilled? Or Reversed?
Khal quickly led some of the crew in two smallboats to the beach to rescue the 8 stranded people, whom turned out to be Mercati refugees from the Battle of Tamal. As the boats neared, the people on the beach kept looking behind them at their pursuers, the Impuniti. The 8 Mercati scrambled into the boats and they headed back toward the Greenwood. In addition to Mouse, one of the rescued turned out to be Gledrip the Fourth, whom Khal had rescued once before. “Tis you, Gledrip. I'm making a habit of being your good fortune, eh?" said Khal.
But the Impuniti reached the shore and started firing at the smallboats before they were out of range. Gledrip took an arrow in the back but survived. No one else was hit.
When they got back to the Greenwood, Khal found the Captain and said to him, “Esterkan, I am grateful for your patience and will endeavor to reply in kind. However, if I'm right about one of these rescued, history will owe you a much greater debt.”
The ship finally arrived in Arindel around 9 or 10 o'clock in the evening.