(G181 30/11/2013 Sat via Roll20 - JF, AP(GM))

(G180 22/11/2013 Fri - JF(GM), AP) (was a Star Trek game)

(G181 30/11/2013 Sat via Roll20 - JF, AP(GM))

DAY 209  (5 Marpenoth)(October) continued...

I still had a few things to do though.

Firstly we went to talk to and check up on the bookseller's wife. She had her husband's body now
at least.

Then we went and talked to the prisoners. Usual sort of grumpiness about it you would expect
from your guard type, but Maximanus Thall let us in, in the end.

Here are my notes from then:

Fembrys - Sat quietly in cell. Never met his parents, was raised in an orphanage. A cleric.
        - says he worships Umberlee (a lie). He's the one that liked to collect heads.
        - In his thirties. Nasty piece of work.

Shan Thar - says he is genuine cleric of mystra (a lie). Asked him about the Vasty Swamp
        but said he knew nothing. Stuck to his story.
      - In his mid forties.

Kevran    - low muttering from within, he was praying to mystra. A sorcerer.
            Said he was innocent and had been fooled. Seemed believable.
            He'd only worked there three months. Said that if Shan Thar follows Shar or
            Cyric then his dominions are Trickery and Illusion.
          - Young. Early twenties.

We talked to Thall afterwards. He seemed to believe Kevran. I asked what would happen to the
other obviously guilty men. He said that depended in whether they got Judge Pugnations 'Hempkneck' Brown,
Judge Elderberry 'The Blade' or Judge Herbert 'Kindling' Finksnottle!

After that we purchased a few more things including a pack donkey.

DAY 210  (6 Marpenoth)(October)

We set off this morning! What a joy to be on our travels again. Having proper adventures!
With my wife with me too!
I did rather long for my old companions, such as Raz, Nobby, gods even Shifty. The old gang.

Still, this was the new gang! Not too bad. Myself as the caster and ..ahem.. sort of leader,
Sylvia as the healer, Shump as the man at the front in all the armour, Jiggles as the one with
the lock picks and a keen eye and Lavinia as the ... well the one that ... well, the one that
doesn't really do anything! (But don't tell her I said that!)
I'm just joking anyway, she is quiet handy with a sword and having a good looking and well mannered
woman around is always useful in situations where diplomacy and tact are needed.

Anyway, we followed our map to the 'Lost Refuge'. I scouted ahead in eagle form, but the road
was quiet.

The first place we came to was the 'Unknown Shrine'. I spend most of my time look out for the wildlife
and trying to catch butterflies. I got a couple but it is difficult without a net so I mainly stuck
to insects.

(For more lengthy essays on my findings see Beast Journal Entry #1339)

By eight at night we were at the shrine. Here we met some nice traveling traders called
Norry Waywalket (a gnome) and Coobert Draftworth (a human).
We shared their fire and purchased some of the jewelry.

I spent a lot of the night in eagle form though, keeping an eye out. They told us of a predicament
that they had. Some way off (at the Tomb of Chonis, it was marked on our map) they had their storehouse.
The tomb had been invaded by goblins or something and they were at a loss as to what to do.

Wasn't it fortuitous then that they had stumbled across a well armed band of adventurers in search
of adventure?

We said we would gladly help in the morning. After setting up watches we went to sleep.

DAY 211  (7 Marpenoth)(October)

So, all together we set off and in the early evening arrived at the tomb.

It was on a low hill, with an open doorway at the base. It looked like an ancient barrow.
On the lintel was some lettering but no one could read it.

I was in eagle form, but as the others arrived I turned back into a human. I asked the
merchants about the layout of the tomb and got a rough idea of what was inside.

After the entrance was a pit, apparently, but it had been largely filled in with dirt
and stones. It was still 10ft deep though and they merchants had put a rope bridge across
it.

I checked the ground. The grass was short, there was some deer poo. No signs of anything like
monsters though.

We knew nothing about Chonis, who he was or what he did. The merchants said that sages would
pay to find out, but knew nothing.

So, we approached. I was immediately struck by an arrow, but not gravely injured.

Shump got to the door first and then led the way to the bridge. There was the pit as described
and above it was the large carved relief of a frowning face with horns on its head.
Chonis perhaps? Or just an image to frighten away tomb raiders.

Three arrows were then fired out of slits in the back wall. They were aiming for the main ropes
on the bridge and one arrow half cut one of them. I ran across and used a Stoneshape spell
though and soon put a stop to that.

It was dark in here and we only had one lantern so Jiggles lit a sun rod. There was a corridor
on each side of the face so we split up into two parties.

Two more arrows were shot at Mr B, but he is pretty nibble and easily avoided them. Another
arrow bounced off Sylvia's impressive new armour. One got Lavinia though.

Where were they all coming from? I wondered. So far we had not seen a single attacker! More
invisible or well hidden enemies I sighed. This would be like the snakes in the temple.

We made our way to the back room where one of them cast a 'Fog' spell. It now got even harder
to see them.

It was time to deploy the tactic that had worked against the snakes, namely, wildly striking
around us with our weapons in hope of hitting something! Shump was the first to kill one of
them as it hid in an alcove.

I summoned up a bunch of crocodiles and soon the whole thing was a dark foggy mess of us
flailing around and crocodiles chasing shadows.

I finally used my brain and cast a 'Gust of Wind' spell I'd forgotten I had remembered
(If you see what I mean! Don't worry, it's a spellcaster thing). By now though people were
getting the hang of it and were pretty fed up of the arrows. Badger scented one and hunted
it down. Shump got another.
There was a bit of confusion and some of the croc's got pretty random in their attacks
but in the end the last of them were dead. They were strange little gobliny things but
with some sort of shadow spell on them, like the guards in the temple.

I made notes though and drawings, just incase we came across an expert.
(see Beast Journal Entry #1340)

We searched about and Jiggles found the a secret door and the merchant's stash. Her eyes
lit up Shifty-style but she knew not to touch any of it.

I spent a few more hours in here as the others made camp and made many drawing and sketches
of the place. Perhaps a scholar could look them over later and venture an opinion?
(see Dungeon Journal Entry #188)
I sketched all the faces and wrote down all the runes and writings I could find.

Norry  and Coobert were delighted and rewarded us with 100 gold coins and a bottle each of
a dark salty wine called 'Utterdark'.