Elder Players' - Interlude Four (Storyline)
I will be posting the e-mails I receive between the March game and the May D&D game, when they are appropriate
for the whole group to read:
(from Scott) Kit shouts " Zeek Wait !" running up to him she says under her breath " If you run into Vax out there I hope you can convince him planting a flail up side his head was a misunderstanding." ......" If he gives you a chance to explain, and if he doesn't hold a grudge" she then turns and strolls back to the camp.
(from Scott) Kit arose from the apparent plant simulacrum of Sharwyn Hucrele wondering if the parties preoccupation with other things had doomed her to this end. She looked over to see Oren examining what would be Sir Bradford's sword Shatterspike he had lifted from the fibrous doppelganger of the afore mentioned Paladin. Zeek and Gremage were looking up into the smoldering vampire tree at a white object high in it's limb's discussing how best to get to it. Where was Kerbach? She looked back to see him sitting motionless in the same location he had been at the conclution of the battle. She moved to him looking into his pale face and motionless eyes. Pulling the silvered mirror from her pack she held it under his nose and saw it only lightly fog up. "Is he breathing?" Oran asked as he walked up . " Only just " Kit replied. " Zeek , there's something wrong with Kerbach " She called . After looking him over Zeek stated" I've seen this happen with some Berzerkers in my homeland. After taking all the damage their bodies can handle and coming down from their rage there body is to drained to even close their eyes and sleep. He even kept on going long after his frenzy and exerted allot more effort in the fighting since. We must keep him warm to keep him from going into shock" he said as he laid Kerbach's head back , shutting his eyes and covering him with his cloak.
The party gathered up the items of interest while Kit had Oren cut down branches to fasion a stretcher from the charred tree. They made their way back to Belak's room passing the body of their old goblin guide that had turned on them. He was riddled with tiny holes and looked to have died a painful death. No sign of the deadly sapling's could be found since the death of their master . Zeek, Oren, and the Wormling fell into a fast sleep joining Kerbach in his slumber...but Kit and Gremage started searching through the volume of notes the evil druid had written about his cultivating underground plants and fungus and what he planed to do with them....(continued below).
(from Scott) Zeek awoke to the sound of silence, absolute silence. His eyes focused as he tried to remember where he was. The flickering candle light from the table across the room surendered the scene of Kit and Gremage taking notes as they poured over the writing's of the Dark Druid. Kerbach still lay in the same position as they had placed him , his chest slowly rising and falling beneath the layers of blankets. Oren's bedding lay empty . That's why he must have awoke to the silence since the usual sound of Oren's rythmic snoring was missing. The door opened and Oren entered adjusting his britches. "Zeek" came the voice of Kit from right behind him giving him a start. Damn I wish she would make some noise when she moved. Kit cotinued " We have found some items we would like you to gather , your talents with Herbs should increase our chances of getting some living samples back to our Lab within our Lair . We would like to get some of the Glowing Lichen , the Druid has found a way to make it grow at a rapid rate when fertilized with powdered bone. He has been growing a Blue moss that secretes a fluid that paralizes small creatures then feeds off them , We may be able to use this in your Healing salve to numb the wounds and aid the healing proccess. And lastly there is a large mushroom that when you make contact with its purple cap it burstes send a cloud of spored into the air induceing sleep to creatures . They then fall victim to area preditors who comsume the spores with the victim , which then grow out of the feces of the preditor. Be sure to only gather the small green mushrooms around them since they dont exploed. We have found some Giant frog skins that they were useing to move moisten samples around to the different gardens. We are going to take naps while you gather the samples . We need to get back to the Goblins as soon as Kerbach gets enough rest to help carry some of our spoiles. Got all that? " Zeek glanced down at the notes Kit had handed him and nodded yes . Damn he just could not function till he had his morning brew....(continued).
(from the DM) It is the middle of the night, and the entire party is startled from their sleep by the
sound of Oren's voice screaming, "Blood….blood…blood…BLLLOOOOOOOOD!"
You all turn towards Oren in time to see him sit up with his eyes wide open, a look of stark terror on his face!
Oren runs a hand up his face and into his hair. He is soaked with sweat, and his wet hair hangs down on his ruddy
moist forehead.
Everyone just sits there staring at Oren for a moment, looks of pity and disgust on you faces. Then Oren speaks,
"Where's Vax? I need to talk to him."
All the members of the party ignore Oren's question, and roll back over to go to sleep again. Oren says, "I
must find Vax," and gets up from his bedroll. His feet make crunching noises as he makes his way away from
the fire ring and into the frosty woods.
In the morning, the party awakes, and Oren is asleep beneath his blankets…a peaceful knowing look upon his face.
(from Scott) Kit shot up out of a deep sleep to the bellowing of what at first she mistook for a large Owlbear, but only turned out to be Kerbach tossing around edible mushrooms and litchen they found in Belak's stores. "HOW CAN ANYONE LIVE ON THIS GOD AWFUL FUNGUS!!! I HAVE A HUNGER FOR REAL FOOD, MEAT COOKED OVER A FIRE OUTSIDE UNDER THE OPEN SKY!!! GIVE ME SOMETHING TO STRENGTHEN ME TO GET OUT WHERE THE GODS CREATED MEN TO LIVE, NOT IN THIS DARK, DAMP , MOLDY HOLE IN THE GROUND FIT ONLY FOR THE RACES DESCENDED FROM WORMS!!!" Suddenly a sack smacked him in the side of the head, he spun to meet the glare of kit "
There is all my dried meat I have , being a wormkin I didn't need that much of it" Kerbach stared back not knowing how to respond for a few seconds before bursting into a uncontrollable laughter, " What in the cursed name of Lolthe are you laughing about?" she hissed only to watch Zeek , Oren , Doomnoodle , and even Gremage join in . She reach into her pack and slid out her mirror and held it up to see what could only be described as a poor excuse for a bad white rat's nest on top of her hair. No one had ever gotten up before her to see how her wild mane was affected by a nights rest. She garbed her sack and stormed off into the next room to restore her pride to its usual look.
She came back later to a much sated Kerbach and a group packed up and ready to move on. Aside from the early occasional glance and snicker the short trip back was without banter. Oren kept glancing around nervously with a look of concern on his hairy brow. she took this as a sign that Vax had not returned. Then again, was this a sign that perhaps Oren had begun to doubt Vax? Hmmm. Back at the Goblin lair they orginized the survivors and let the elder female lead them back out to the gorge and down a trail that wound through it. after about 2 miles the came to its end as a cliff shot up high in front of them. A large crevasse cut into the cliff there.They were lead into it and down a searies of tunnels deeper into the earth while Kerbach bitched about leaving the great outdoors once again.
After about 4 miles they came upon a scene of carnage that set the goblin Women and children into a screaming fit . A large cavern filled with destroyed clay hovels and hundreds of dismembered goblin bodies. Many had been gnawed on and most were missing their heads which now rested on spear set into the ground through out the shattered Goblin village. When the commotion had ended the whimpering goblins led the way to a large rounded boulder at he other side of the cavern , they asked the men to move the stone revealing a 3 foot hit passage to which Kerbach responded " I would have to be dead for you to get me into a hole like that." Tragna , the young female who Kit had found could speak common said the Goblin knew this way well enough and felt it safe to travel along it to the tunnels that led to a large Goblin city. Tragna asked Kit for a map of where she might be able to find her if she got the nerve to leave the Underground. Gremage suggested they trace their route back up to the surface and back to the rope they hadclimbed down so as not to miss Collin if he was returning to join back with the party. So they silently started on their journey back to the comfort of home.
(from Mark...DM) "The adventuring party stood off to the side, giving Gremage some privacy. Just
a day ago, a couple of the party members had suggested that the white dragon wyrmling was treasure, and perhaps
the party could profit from rescuing him. Gremage had responded with an intensity in his voice that was rarely
there. "The dragon has been a captive for long enough! It is a living, breathing, magical force of nature...and
we can no more profit from him, than we could own him. The dragon shall do as he pleases." Gremage's white
pupil-less eyes flashed with anger.
No one challenged these words, and for two days "Jake" (as Gremage called the dragon) had stayed with
the party. Gremage had taught him some basic hunting skills, using his frosty breath to bring down birds to eat.
Gremage had also spent time describing to Jake the area where Gorin's lair was located. It was clear to everyone
that though Gremage did not own the little beast, he did wish to remain in contact with him. It was equally clear
as each day went by, that Jake was fairly independent and wanted to be on his own.
Well, now the time had come. The goblin women and children had been delivered to a familiar portion of the Underdark,
and the party had just met back up with Collin at the exit to the Sunless Citadel. Collin had been very excited
about an army he had seen coming from the South, and that's when it happened. Jake had flapped his little wings
and landed on Gremage's shoulder. He whispered frosty words into Gremage's ear...and Gremage's face darkened.
"O.K. little one. You are right, the time has come." The party stood to one side, as Gremage and Jake
exchange a few words of farewell. Gremage reminded the little wyrmling to call upon him at the lair anytime he
wanted. The dragon nodded its scaled head, and took flight into the surrounding forest. Gremage stood there for
a second...looking into the woods. Then he turned towards the rest of the party, and spoke. "Let's take the
high ground and see if we can see this black army that Collin speaks of...."
(This Interlude leads directing into the into for "The Aftermath" - May 19th, 2001 game...)
(from Matt) Kerbock says "That dragon could of gotten alot of gold... I think thats your share of the treasure that is flying away white mage."
(from Scott) Kit looked at each member of the party . " I was imprisoned for most of my 97 years as a slave to the Drow. If you had come upon me and slayed my captors would you then consider me part of your spoils , my worth being what you could sell me for in the slave markets of the south? I would like to know just how you feel about this since that would be how my cursed Drow Masters would have done and I do not know if I wish to associate with the likes of ones as immoral as the spawn of Lolthe."
Feel Free to Contact me at VoidPulp@aol.com