Saliq utters an exclamation concerning a minor but infamous demigoddess and a private portion of her anatomy but manages to keep his feet... and his wits. The Jambiya Moonblade shimmeres in candlelight as it slices into the Boggle.

---

17:54, Today: Saliq Musfara rolled 4 using 1d20. Dexterity Check.

17:59, Today: Saliq Musfara rolled 21 using 1d20+1. Attack with Jambiya Moonblade - natural 20, so maximum damage (5)!
This message was last edited by the player at 18:13, Mon 12 Nov 2012.

"What IS that?" Duvall exclaims, keeping his feet as he hefts his hammer and moves forward. He smacks the creature in the back as it reels from Saliq's attack. Landing a solid blow.

14:27, Today: Duvall Kane rolled 20 using 1d20. Attack on Boggle. Max damage 5 pts.
14:19, Today: Duvall Kane rolled 3 using 1d20. dex check.

Eagle is left speechless at the turn of events that has befallen, and he slips on the oil and lands in a heap on his ass.

OOC: You rolled 19 using 1d20 ((19)).Good grief, this die roller!

Norion bellowed a curse as his feet slipped out from under him. He crashed to the floor, burning with rage at his own clumsiness.

18:39, Today: Norion Ironaxe rolled 11 using 1d20. Dexterity Check.

From his crouched position, Ben drew his blade, the lunged towards the chest, aiming to drive the blade thru the weakened, soaked bottom, and into the creature within!



OOC
16:54, Today: Ben Scristos rolled 7 using 1d20. dex.

16:56, Today: Ben Scristos rolled 5 using 1d6. Hero's Luck.
16:55, Today: Ben Scristos rolled 10 using 1d20. attack.

Total of 15. Only the DM knows if it hits or not...

just in case...

16:57, Today: Ben Scristos rolled 5 using 1d8. damage.

Sularia had stepped back and came close to slipping. She didn't really want this fight because she saw the creature as having more value alive then dead. Seeing some of her friends fall, she moved to help someone up. The closest one was Eagle.

Sularia Alariel rolled 13 using 1d20. Dex check. She has a Dex of 14.
 I hope her helping Eagle up allows him some advantage during
the next round.
 

The boggle reels backward after receiving two vicious wounds in rapid succession. Thankfully, for it, some of the companions had a hard time staying on two feet, therefore it still had a chance...

The rubbery creature hops to one side of the bed, bends down, and extends its spindly arm through the bed's rider poles. Once again, a purplish aura forms about the creature's hand, and in an instant, its' whole body disappears through the dimensional portal.

The sound of breaking glass is then heard in the laboratory who just came through. The boggle seemingly intends to flee rather than confront six armed heroes.

OOC: All characters must make a Dexterity check (roll lower than their Dex, or they slip and fall.

---

Boggle
AC: 5
HD: 4+3, HP: 27
12/27


PC          AC   HP    AP    Notes
Ben         7   05/15   1     Init +2
Duvall      4   10/13   3
Eagle       6   10/19   4
Norion      3   14/24   2
Saliq       7   07/10   3     Init +2
Sularia     8   06/09   3     Init +1


Stage 1: PCs
Stage 2: Boggle

This message was last edited by the GM at 04:16, Thu 15 Nov 2012.

With the kind help of Sularia, Eagle struggles to his feet and turns to assess his options. In an instant the rubbery creature teleports into the next room, and Eagle finds himself examining the floor again.

10:08, Today: Eagle rolled 19 using 1d20. dex check. It's like the key stone cops. I wouldn't mind, but Eagle has a 15 dexterity. . .

...and Duvall ends up on his arse right beside him!

07:34, Today: Duvall Kane rolled 19 using 1d20. dex check.

Once again the nimble Illusionist keeps on his feet, though his blow misses the strange creature. "If any of you want to try grabbing it," he says through gritted teeth, "Now would be the time."

---

OOC: 14:21, Today: Saliq Musfara rolled 15 using 1d20. Dexterity Check.
14:24, Today: Saliq Musfara rolled 11 using 1d20+1. Attack with Jambiya Moonblade.

Trying to help Eagle up, Sularia lost her footing and fell also.

Sularia Alariel rolled 15 using 1d20. Dexterity Check.

Pulling out his sling, Ben struggles, successfully, to the door of the lab, and lets loose a bullet, which whizzes across the room, and connects with a thump!






OOC
19:27, Today: Ben Scristos rolled 9 using 1d20. dex.
19:29, Today: Ben Scristos rolled 19 using 1d20. sling.
19:30, Today: Ben Scristos rolled 3 using 1d4+1. dmg.

Trying to regain his footing, the dwarf slipped again as he pulled himself upright. He spat another curse as he slammed onto his back a second time.

22:11, Today: Norion Ironaxe rolled 11 using 1d20. Dexterity Check.

Most of the party struggle to keep their feet underneath them on account of the thin coat of slippery oil left in the wake of the boggle's now frequent teleportation.

It does it again!

One moment it is there, the next it is not, though the party can hear maniacal laughter echoing down the winding staircase that led up to Ga's laboratory. Happy to be free of its prison, the boggle seems content to make its escape.

Pursuit is still possible, though presently only Ben and Saliq remain standing, the others continue to flail about on the floor like newborn kittens on an icy lake.

OOC: All characters must make a Dexterity check (roll lower than their Dex, or they slip and fall. Note: this only applies if PC's are attempting to run or engage in combat. PCs may still walk carefully without need for a Dex check.

---

Boggle
AC: 5
HD: 4+3, HP: 27
0/27; Unconscious (Subdued) 4 hit points


PC          AC   HP    AP    Notes
Ben         7   05/15   1     Init +2
Duvall      4   10/21   3
Eagle       6   10/19   4
Norion      3   14/24   2
Saliq       7   07/10   3     Init +2
Sularia     8   06/09   3     Init +1


Stage 1: PCs
Stage 2: Boggle

PCs are up!!!
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:39, Sun 18 Nov 2012.

"Sigh, this bugger is gettin' on me last nerve..."

Rushing to the top of the stairs, Ben quickly fits another bullet into his sling, and lets fly, his projectile traveling with near perfect precision, thumping the creature quite loudly.



OOC
21:41, Today: Ben Scristos rolled 4 using 1d4+1. dmg.
21:41, Today: Ben Scristos rolled 17 using 1d20. sling.
21:41, Today: Ben Scristos rolled 15 using 1d20. dex.

Saliq once again keeps his footing and runs down the stairs after the errant Boggle. He slips the Jambiya Moonblade back into his belt just before he moves, as he figures they want to try and catch the thing rather than simply slay it.

The Illusionist makes an earnest attempt to grab the boggle by the scruff of it's neck or one of it's limbs but it eludes him.

---

15:51, Today: Saliq Musfara rolled 13 using 1d20. Dexterity Check.
15:58, Today: Saliq Musfara rolled 8 using 1d20. Attack (grappling).

'By Melora's grace,' Eagle mutters, as he again struggles to his feet. Perhaps it is embarrassment or perhaps his diety is shining down on him, but with surprising grace and nimbleness he springs back to his feet and pursues the boggle thing. To the top of the stairs, tossing his spear downwards towards it in frustration.

Perhaps Ben's sling shot is off putting, perhaps Eagle is to busy concentrating on his footing, or perhaps he is frankly just an incompetent clutz. In any case, the spear tip catches on a bannister and clatters harmlessly down the stairs.

OOC:
16:55, Today: Eagle rolled 1 using 1d20. dexterity check. That's more like it. . .

16:59, Today: Eagle rolled 2 using 1d20. spear throw. Oh. Wait a minute. . .

No longer attempting to rise, Sularia called out to the creature in her best goblin slang, "Hide, Hide. In my pack you hide! I'll protect you so 'port inside!" [If you don't understand goblin, it doesn't matter anyway.]

If Duvall is able, he will get up slowly and carefully walk out of the grease slick...

If not, he'll just lay there...

Norion finally managed to get to his feet in time to see Saliq try to grab the elusive creature. The dwarf swung at the monster with the flat of his axe blade, hoping to knock the wind out of it so it could be captured.

21:50, Today: Norion Ironaxe rolled 7 using 1d20. Dexterity Check.

21:55, Today: Norion Ironaxe rolled 20 using 1d20+1. Attack - Great Axe.
21:56, Today: Norion Ironaxe rolled 8 using 1d10. Damage.

Norion was intending to do subdual damage to the Boggle, so 4 hp of that would be "real" damage and 4 hp would be subdual.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:03, Fri 16 Nov 2012.

Norion's axe strike knocks the boggle unconscious! The creature stumbles down several steps before finally coming to rest in a crumpled heap near the landing at the bottom of the stairs.

The elusive humanoid has been momentarily incapacitated!

The party binds the unconscious boggle's hands and feet in hopes of preventing the slippery creature from enacting another escape attempt. After being properly secured, the boggle eventually regain consciousness. The creature is understandably frightened and immediately pleads to not be put back into the locked chest.

The boggle speaks in coblish, a pidgin common-goblin tongue commonly spoken in Stormhaven's Undercity. Thankfully, the party is able to piece most of the creature's speech together and despite some interesting translation issues, is able to communicate with the boggle.

The boggle's name is Khreev-dag: 'it who collects in twisting shadows' in coblish. Khreev explains that it used to be the sole occupant of the dungeon complex, but was ousted when Ga's goblins arrived. Vastly outnumbered, Khreev tried to escape but succumbed to Ga's strange magic. Initially, Khreev joined Ga's band. After some time the boggle decided it preferred to be independent, and attempted to flee the group.

Several escape attempts later, Khreev ended up in the locked chest until you arrived and sprung it free.

The boggle explains that Ga performed experiments on sick and wounded animals the goblins brought to him. That is how the Gaping Maw first came to be: Ga spoke some words from a scroll and the maw formed in the ground. Ga continued to feed sickened and even dead animals to the maw, and it grew larger with each passing day. The Maw's hunger grew more insatiable with each passing day. The goblins were primarily tasked with collecting sickened animals. The boggle also gathered animals for a time. Healthy animals were never fed to the Maw an Ga was always reluctant to sacrifice dogs to the Maw. Apparently Ga had some fondness for hounds.

Khreev does not know why Ga created the portal, but the mongrelman did speak to the maw as though it was a deity. The gibbering mouther was but one of many beasts that crawled out of that maw. The Chaos Buzzards were also born in the Gaping Maw. There were many other strange beings that slithered out of the maw. The boggle does not know what became of those other things.

Duvall does not detect an evil aura around the boggle. The boggle is indeed very cooperative with the party's demands and seems to be fairly straight-forward in its answers. The boggle pleads for mercy and asks to be set free. It explains that it has done no harm, aside from pilfering an item here or there (which might explain the closet of random items the group found...in addition to the tavern sign). The boggle simply wants to return to living beneath the city, amassing interesting trinkets. Khreev pleads for its release and even offers to reveal the location of another hidden dungeon beneath the city in exchange for the party's mercy.

***

At some point during the boggle's questioning, the companions hear a loud crashing noise somewhere in the dungeon. After careful investigation, the heroes notice that the Gaping Maw has collapsed inward and is now little more than a pile rubble and earth. Perhaps it grew so hungry it at itself?

Regardless of what decision the party makes with regards to Khreev's diposition, the companions gather up various alchemical supplies and equipment, which are sold in Stormhaven's markets for 500 gold pieces! Additionally, the party manages to harvest a single dose of Oil of Slipperiness from the floor where Khreev teleported!

And thus ends a curious adventure that began from the ramblings of a drunken lad in a tavern and ended with the promise of perhaps a new expedition, yet again beneath the city, delving into one of the city's many lost dungeons...

Feeling more then a bit hurt by the lack of appreciation from the others (wouldn't have been so easy to catch the boggle, without his damn-near heroic and more then amazingly acrobatic efforts to peg that darn Boggle in the head with his sling) the young thief found himself suddenly with more coin then had ever imagined, and a slight case of amnesia regarding the cause of his upset.

To the amazement of those who knew him, Ben indulged in the local bath house, even to getting himself a hair cut. Investing in a dour little suit, with a stiff collar that was never to be seen again, he attended the funeral of Skaald, then spent the afternoon divesting himself of the bulk of his new gained wealth.

Not on prostitutes or gambling mind you, but in the purchase of a three story domicile in Newhaven with a small bit of a backyard, and a business front set on a corner, where he moved his beloved mother, and seven younger siblings, along with the startings of a seamstresses business.

It wiped his cash flow out completely, but it filled his heart with more pleasure then any other use the coin could have gone too. Especially the look on Britta's face when she saw her new bedroom on the top floor (or more correctly, the entire top floor, as the building was not that big around) though the look on the twins' (Thim and Thom) faces when they found their own goat in the back yard, was pretty good too.

***

Several days later, back in his leathers, and prepared for the next expedition, Ben spends his two cents on a preference for pursuing the Boggles information back into the under-city.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:05, Mon 19 Nov 2012.

Saliq spent time recovering from his injuries, while taking care to keep as much of his gold intact as possible.  He was not naturally a skinflint but perhaps more than than any of the others he was keeping an eye to the future: one of these days he'd cross the Shining Sea and free his home city from his wicked half-brother - and that would take coin, power and allies. He took to researching the potions the party had gained, though he claimed none of them for himself.

Saliq was very much in favour of releasing Khreev, and indeed healing him too. The little boggle had earned his freedom and the Illusionist, no fan of slavery felt sympathy for this new and unlikely friend. He merely asked in return that should Khreev come across any wielding strange or sinister magics he bring word to the party. "Ga is gone but others may come in his stead and we should keep our eyes and ears open just in case my friends."

***

Rested and alert Saliq met with the others to discuss plans. While many of the rumours intrigued him the recovery of the Ehridol jewels impressed him most: "There are worse things than to win the favour of the rich and powerful." Saliq pointed out and smiled wryly, though he kept quiet about the other reason: from what he had heard the heiress to the Ehridol fortune was quite the beauty.

On leaving the dungeon, Eagle bade farewell to his companions for a few days. After visiting his parents, and leaving his share of coin in their hands for safe-keeping, Eagle heads for the Royal Park, eager to find his companions in the sect of Melora. Through the course of his adventures his control of the spirits on which he drew his power had increased noticeably. This coupled with his success in helping to remove the threat of the Maw, impresses his companions, and there is a subtle change in his demeanour among the group.

With the gateway closed, the druid's sect spends several days in the old woods of the Park feasting and celebrating with wild songs and dance. After two nights of this the head of the Stormhaven druids takes Eagle to one side, and seeks a quiet word. 'You have done well Eagle, when we sent you we wondered if you had it in you to succeed,' he starts. 'But there are many other dangers to the natural balance that we must guard Stormhaven against. I see in your heart that you yearn to seek out the wider world. But a wise man must play a long game - your new companions can be powerful allies to our cause, who we may need one day. I urge you to support them in their endeavours so as to earn their support when it is needed. Stay with your friends for now, and the world outside the city will come to you anyway.'

Eagle ponders on these words as he retires to his bed, and the next day he meets the others as planned. 'I have heard of troubles with a beacon, and that lizard men are raiding from the marshes,' he mentions. 'I would like to help the city if I can, but I will remain with you whatever is decided.'