After a good rest and a chance for the team's spellcasters to prepare new spells for this mission Team Arda-Nuff meets again at the Dripstone Inn and are met by a pair of duegar guards who have been assigned to show them the way to the old warehouse where the entrance to the Decay Node is to be found.

Half an hour's walk through the dimly lit streets of Pedestal brings the team safely to the old warehouse and the two duegar show them where a 5-foot trapdoor behind a stack of crates in a back corner of the warehouse leads to a long staircase leading down 100 feet to the Decay Node.

The duegar guards say that is as far as they will go but they will wait up here in the warehouse until the team returns (or until the drow priestess emerges, if that happens first). Their orders then are to report back to Es Sarch, either way.

So Team Arda-Nuff descends the stairs and reaches the bottom without incident. A natural tunnel winds away to the left from the base of the stairs. There is a narrow line of sight from the southern edge of that tunnel near the stairs that allows the team to see that the tunnel runs for about 50 feet before opening out into a larger chamber. There is a 3-foot high barricade of stones piled across the entrance to that chamber and that chamber is brightly lit by firelight and flames within a widen central area of that chamber can be seen reaching higher than the barricade. The warmth of the flames can already be felt at the foot of the stairs and the crackle of the fire is softly heard as well.

There is no sign of any guards at the barricade and no sign of life in that chamber can be seen from this distance. Indeed, you would need to get quite close to the barricade to be able to see the floor of that chamber beyond the barricade.

OOC: The noise of the fire does not affect conversation at this distance but if you want to withdraw back up the stairs at all to make any preparations or to speak to the duergar guards before moving closer that option is still available.

OOC: Main Game Map updated.

"Imma gonna start wid der magics, I follow yous when yer decide ter move." Minmorc will start the party by casting bless on everyone. He has his greataxe in hand and is talking in  low voice that hopefully wouldn't be heard over the cackle of the fire.

"Does youse want me to goes an have a look first?" Jurz asks with a grin.  Then adds, "Does anyone speak wiv animals?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:11, Thu 01 Oct 2020.

Dregz is being very careful not to touch anything down here, but takes time out from his efforts to maintain constant vigilance to reply to Jurz.

"Ise c'n unnerstan' animalz talk, but Ise don' tink dey can unnerstan' me," he tells the druid, furtively.

"Den Ise could be a rat and goes and look over de top of de barricade ..." Jurz suggests.

"Dats not much ov a barricade fer stormin.  I could jus step over it." The young bugbear murmers his thoughts quietly and pushes a pebble with his toe.  "I'll go when you'se all ready."  Meanwhile he blows a little bugbear magic into his fist to make it stronger and holds his wand of Magic Missiles ready in case something needs shootin'. 

OOC: how high is the roof please?
This message was last edited by the player at 06:10, Sun 04 Oct 2020.

Moffdust nods at Jurz suggestion. "Bests we's looks, buts lets protect youse from evil spellses first... drows is sometimes nasty, Llolthses too." she add matter of factly.
She casts protection from evil once Jurz gives her the go ahead.

While Jurz is taking a look she summons a small Fire Elemental as her cohort for the day. "Hey Sparkys, you is wid us all todays... deese is my friends don't burns dem up. Can youse says what dat fires is?" She waves airily in the direction of the fire beyond the barrier. "Is it specials?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:03, Sun 04 Oct 2020.

Once Moffa has cast her spell, Jurz changes.   Not so much shrinking, as dropping to all fours, growing fur and a long bare tail as he does so - his snout lengthens until he is a full sized dire rat.

Without a squeak, he sets off towards the barricade.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:15, Sun 04 Oct 2020.

Nice!  Bulldust watches Jurz, impressed but a bit confused.  He turns to his older mentor.  "Min, is e stormin da barricade wivout us?"

While other members of Team Arda-Nuff make a few preparations Jurz transforms into a dire rat and cautiously scurries down the tunnel and climbs up the 3-foot high barricade of stones to peek over the top.

Moffa summons a small fire elemental, which illuminates the party quite nicely at the bottom of the stairs. It provides a lovely crackling sound effect to go with the firelight it casts.

OOC: Main Game Map updated. Ceiling height is typically 8-10ft in the tunnel and up to 15ft in the 30ft diameter cave.
Minmorc's Bless spell gives everyone +1 on saves vs fear and +1 on attack rolls.

Jurz-rat climbs back down the barricade and makes his way back to his companions.  When he gets there he squeaks at Dregz, expecting the cleric to understand him.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:30, Sun 04 Oct 2020.

Minmorc will think this over carefully. "I fink Jurz stormed up, den stormed off but ee asn't stormed it, yer gots ter like rush der barricade an snot somefing fer a barricade ter be proper stormed so it ain't bin stormed yet." Minmorc will cast divine favor on himself in the hope there's something to storm.

Bulldust listens attentively to Min's explanation.  Yeah, how's a rat gonna do all dat?  Sneeze on em?"  He watches Jurzie-rat run back squeaking.  "Whats he sayin Dregzie?"

Moffdust waits with Sparkie, feeding him little bits of cobweb on a stick and anything else that looks combustible and not tied down. She may have discovered a new hobby. She waits to hear what Jurz saw, and casts Protection from Evil on herself too. "Does anyone elses wants protections from drows and stuffs?"

"Good idea Moffa.  I got one in a bottle."  He drinks a potion of Protection from Evil.

"Yeh, ifs yer can stops dem from gettin in me head an protects me from stuff would be good, cause I got a big head an I don't know if I could find dem again."

Dregz bends down to listen to Jurzy-rat squeak, then replies, "Dere is Sally-Mandas in dere? Dey is taking a barff in a big fiery pit?"

Raven tilts her head to one side and looks from Dregz to Jurzy-rat and back again.

"Salamanders?" she squawks quietly. "Shall we go think about this a bit and come back when we've got a plan for how we're going to do this?"

Minmorc has a blank look in his eyes, looks down at his axe, looks back at Raven. "Hit fings wid axe not a plan?"

"Dat's der ooze-ual plan," Dregz agrees with Minmorc.  The priest has been fishing about in his sack for a tattered scroll, but holds off on the casting to see whether the rest of his tribe agrees with Raven. 

Certainly he might now wish to have begged Bargrivyek for different spells this night, having been mostly worried about protecting himself from poisons and diseases, given their destination, but will make do with what he has, if he has to.

In reply to Dregz (msg # 20):

Bored with being a rat, Jurz changes back to his normal shape  "I'se got a storm for the sally-manders, but we'se need to get dem out of de fire pit first."

"No probs, I'll jus reach in an pull der lobsters outta der pot!" Minmorc will enlarge himself to twice his usual size and will stride 50ft off down the corridor, contemptuously stepping over the small wall (three feet tall is more like a garden fence than a respectable barricade) and will ask "I gotta complaint about yer node, I bin told it's gone off an its got rats innit, oo's in charge ere?"

Jurz will follow, but stop looking over the wall, ready to cast Ice storm ....

"Ise could floods it wid water ..." Dregz begins to reply to Jurz before Minmorc doubles up and heads off.

"Oh dears ..."

"So many good ideas. But waters is gonna makes a steam baths and den we's all can't sees where we's goin." Moffdust sticks her clawed thumbs into her belt and nods sagely. "But we's could tops it offs wid a Walls of Ices! Den we's can all gets past before de ices melts and makes a fogs." She goes halfway down the corridor and prepares to cast the spell.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:00, Sun 18 Oct 2020.

OOC: Just edited previous post, in case anyone already read it in the last 20 min.

"Soes .. if I'se makes de ice storm, den youse trap it wiv a wall of de ice?" Jurz asks Moffa.

"Wha?!" Late to the barricade-party again!  Bulldust tosses away the empty vial and heads off down the passage.  Does stepping over count as 'storming'?, he wonders.  An whats a sally-mander?  What kinda 'storm' does Jurz have for dem?  How much can a bugbear bare?

"Now dat sounds like a real plans!" Moffdust nods emphatically. "Can youse makes it jus as big as de pits? Cos dat's how big I'll makes de domes of ices."

Since the glow of the fire pit provides plenty of light down here, Raven sheathes her glowing rapier and readies her crossbow instead. She scurries after Minmorc and Bully but stops short of the barricade as soon as she can see Jurz's sally-manders.

"Dregzie, does youse wants ter floods it wid waters first, before Jurzie storms it and I ice-caps it?" She grins at Dregz and Jurz hoping for a goblin all-play. "Don't look Sparkies!"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:23, Wed 21 Oct 2020.

While others' plans are still being formulated, Minmorc pumps himself up to giant size and marches down the tunnel, contemptuously stepping over the 3-foot barricade to demand some answers from the trio of salamanders basking in the fire pit. The heat from the fire pit is certainly more intense on that side of the barricade.

Jurz follows hot on Minmorc's heels but stops behind the safety of the barricade, just peeking over the top.

Moffa follows halfway down the corridor, still discussing tactics with Jurz and Dregz, while Bully pushes past to scramble over the barricade to join Minmorc and Raven advances to about 15 feet from the barricade with her crossbow loaded and ready.

The three salamanders are man-sized, red and black scaled creatures with muscular humanoid upper bodies and serpentine bodies from the waist down. They have hawkish faces and flame-shaped spines on their spine, arms and head. The closest two (s1 and s2) are facing away from the barricade and don't react until Minmorc speaks but the furthest one (s3) is facing towards the barricade and is looking straight at Minmorc before he even clears the barricade. That one shouts something but it sounds more like a raging bonfire than intelligent speech. [Language unknown: "Nith'icta! Int an!"] The two closest salamanders (s1 and s2) grab their spears and slither out of the fire pit to block the walkways on either side while the third one (s3) slithers forward across the fire pit until it is close enough to threaten giant Minmorc's lower regions with its red-hot spear.

"Get back across that wall, fools, before you cook yourselves! No one is allowed in the node! Go away!" it shouts in the common tongue.

OOC: Main Game Map updated.
Minmorc’s Bless spell gives everyone +1 on saves vs fear and +1 on attack rolls.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:25, Wed 21 Oct 2020.

Minmorc isn't happy that a sillymanduh is threatening his lower regions with a red hot spear but will ignore him... for now. Taking a five foot step north east he will hum "Lob der lobster in der put an set ter simmer. Get back in yer pot yer silly lobsta!" His axe lashes out and a pulse of dark energy appears to split the wound wider, the wild backhand swing  gauging a rent in the wall.

"Dey don' like indtruderz," Dregz translates the creatures' words, rather unnecessarily as the menacing spear speaks for them.  Though poking the big Orc doesn't seem wise to him.

"Dey are silly-demanders !" the priest decides, in light of their actions and their request.

Once they reach the wall ... well, the height might not trouble the bigguns, but it poses a bit of a problem for the little goblin, though his Magic Boots save the day ... rising up just high enough to see over, Dregz casts his spell as Moffa suggests, then quickly drops back down again behind the barrier.

OOC: Move to K13; cast Create Water on the fire pit

As he sees Dregz casting, Jurz casts his own spell, an ice storm at the area of the firepit.

OOC: Bulldust had not yet crossed the barricade.  He drank a potion last round, single move, dithering about barricade-storming theory.

Bulldust steps up to the barricade next to the hairy hovering goblin.  All the other goblins are casting spElla, so bugbear-instinct tells him to hide.  He rests his paw on the barricade.  Made it!  He readies his chainflail to strike at any silly-manda that comes in range, and watches to see what comes of the goblins' talk of fire and ice, fogs and floods.

Moffdust moves up to the barricade with the other goblins. She grins toothily seeing what they're doing. "Ones, twos, threes!" She calls gleefully, casting Wall of Ice in a dome to cap off the doused fire pit.

She gives Sparky a sad smile. "Don't worry About that...youse can makes a new fires in da nodes soon."

Giant Minmorc clearly knows a thing or two about cooking seafood, but less about salamanders. He steps forward and delivers one mighty blow with his greataxe on the salamander (s1) blocking the northern walkway, but misses completely with his second blow. That salamander is grievously wounded but still blocking the walkway.

Then it is time for goblin magic! Dregz summons a substantial downpour upon the fire pit, which rapidly intensifies into a much larger ice storm that engulfs the whole fire pit and the eastern half of that circular chamber and even extends a little way down the corridor beyond. Two of the salamanders (s1 and s3) are caught in that ice storm but it narrowly misses Minmorc and the third salamander.  Minmorc's salamander (s1) collapses on the walkway, apparently unconscious but still hot enough that the ice melts and evaporates when it touches the salamander.

Then Moffa attempts to cap the fire pit with a dome of ice but the two remaining salamanders both slash with their red-hot spears at the ice as it begins to form and the spell is disrupted.

Bully lumbers up behind the goblins but can't quite reach the barricade with Jurz and Dregz blocking the way. Raven tries to shoot at the salamanders with her crossbow from behind Bully but her bolt deflects harmlessly off the salamander's scales.

Both of the remaining salamanders react to Minmorc as the only intruder yet to breach their barricade. The one in the fire pit only moves a few feet northeast shadowing Minmorc's movement then stabs with its spear and lashes at Minmorc with its tail as well. All three attacks hit and burn as well as drawing blood, leaving him seriously wounded. To make matters worse for the overgrown orc the salamander in the fire pit (s3) tries to grapple Minmorc by wrapping its tail around his legs, as well.  (Minmorc would get an attack of opportunity on s2 before it hit him, which has not been rolled yet. You can roll that AoO. Roll an opposed grapple check against the salamander's grapple score of 21 to avoid being grappled.)

Then as soon as the ice storm abates there is a tiny orange glow that briefly illuminates a female drow dressed in silver chain shirt armour about 40 feet down the eastern tunnel. That tiny orange glow comes from a tiny ball of fire that instantly hurtles down the tunnel to strike the top of the barricade and explodes in a fireball the same size as the ice storm that Jurz had summoned moments earlier. (Everyone in the party is within the 20ft radius of the fireball. Full damage would be 21hp each. Make a DC16 Reflex save for half damage. Those with Protection from Evil get +2 on that saving throw.)

OOC: Main Game Map updated. Curiously, the fire pit was not affected at all, even momentarily, by the downpour and ice storm, nor was there any steam or fog when they met.
Minmorc's Bless spell gives everyone +1 on saves vs fear and +1 on attack rolls.

The spears of his enemies cut deep and just as he manages to bat aside the snaking tail of a salamander the fireball erupts catching him full on. Shedding blood and wisps of flame Minmorc succumbs to his rage and lashes out in a pattern of devastating axe strikes. Bellowing in rage he stretches out his arms and embraces the spatter of the volcanic viscera of his foes.

OOC: Partial update – everyone else can still act this round.

Giant Minmorc did manage to hit the salamander (s2) behind him before it stabbed him but that wasn’t enough to stop the fiery creature’s red-hot spear from biting deep and cauterising the wound at the same time. The giant orc also fought free from the other salamander’s tail (s2) but he was caught completely unprepared when the fireball exploded in the chamber leaving Minmorc grievously wounded.

Minmorc’s first response was a mighty roar of pain and rage. Now he truly is every foe’s worst nightmare – a flaming, raging, giant orc with an angry Axe-wife. Retribution follows before the echoes of that mighty roar have even faded. His adamantine greataxe slashes across the chest of the tail-slapping salamander (s3) hurling it back into the firepit where it lies without moving. Then Minmorc’s greataxe literally splits the last salamander (s2) in two and gouges a 6-foot long scar in the wall of the cave beside him (at L11).

From out of nowhere there is suddenly the sound of a hundred orcish voices cheering and chanting, "Nuff-full, Nuff-full, Nuff-full!"

"Dats not nice." Jurz shouts before he starts casting a spell.

Goblins have big ears (no, not the gnome of that name - Orcs killed and ate that worthy many years ago), a natural defense to warn them of incoming danger.  And for one so paranoid as Dregz, the body obeys the call to flee sent by ears that hear the hiss and sizzle of an incipient flaming death long, long before Mr Brain has chance to even think about it.

Before the fireball explodes, the priest launches off from his place by the barricade, diving between Bully's legs in a headlong flight that does not stop until he is just beyond the leading edge of the fireball.

Turning back and baring his pointed teeth at that maelstrom of fire (which is just a little close for comfort), the goblin proceeds with Plan A, a quick but careful reading of the scroll he has clutched in his paw ...

Moffdust Ducks behind the barricade into the position Dregz just left, the worst of the blast going over her head. She says to Sparky "Makes her crispies!" and points at the drow spellcaster. Then she summons a Howler into position s12. "Sic em Rexes!" She sends them both charging into the node shrieking and howling.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:15, Sat 31 Oct 2020.

Bulldust flattens himself against the wall to avoid the fireball and comes out pretty well.  He steps over the puny barricade and edges past the raging orc to stand at gore-spattered o10. "Calm down Min, don't ruffle yer Nuffle." He pats the giant orc on his bloody hip and casts the healing spell from his Hair Shirt of Suffering.  He watches the scene in the node.

08:01, Today: Bulldust rolled 17 using 3d6+5.  cure serious on Min.

With all the people in front of her and the bright flames from the firepit Raven doesn't see the fireball coming at all. She is caught fully by the blast and her feathers are still smoking after the bright burst of flame is gone. She squawks angrily and steps back 5 feet but raises her crossbow and shoots down the tunnel at the fireballing drow as soon as she can see her again.

Rolled 27 using 1d20+11.  Shoot the drow with my crossbow.
Rolled 3 using 1d8+1.  Damage with light crossbow.

As soon as Minmorc puts down the last of the salamanders Jurz calls down a lightning strike upon the drow that cast the fireball. The lightning briefly illuminates her so and it is clear she did not escape being struck.

Dregz leaps and scrambles backward just before the fireball explodes and ends up safely outside the blast radius with scroll in hand, which he promptly reads.

Moffa ducks behind the barricade but is still lightly toasted by the fireball. Sparky, her small fire elemental becomes even more animated after the fireball and races off down the tunnel when Moffa orders it to attack the drow. Then Moffa summons a howler (looking like some kind of a large, gaunt dog with a mane of long porcupine spines) which appears past the fire pit, just behind Sparky, before it howls and dashes forward toward the drow as well. Sparky is delayed slightly by the obstacle of the barricade, plunges into the fire pit and surges out the other side to reach the drow just ahead of the howler. With the howler close behind it Sparky darts to the right out of its way, burning its way into a mass of think fungus in the middle of the cave. The howler charges in and bites the drow as soon as it reaches her.

Bully managed to avoid the worst of the fireball but still got scorched. He easily scrambles over the barricade and edges past Minmorc, patting him on the hip and offering a few soothing words to help the giant orc start to recover from his awful wounds.

Raven was caught by the full force of the fireball and is seriously wounded. She responds angrily by shooting the drow with her new crossbow, somehow finding a clear shot past the howler to pierce the drow's leg.

The drow priestess, now clearly illuminated by the light from the small fire elemental, steps back from the howler, obviously afraid of the large beast. She chants a spell then calls out in the Undercommon language, [Language unknown: "Cang ing ortel mesick! Ntave tr strrestho ureus all na wer peun ichpo. P ro korinttioati any ichis ng butlo."]

OOC: Main Game Map updated. Minmorc's Bless spell gives everyone +1 on saves vs fear and +1 on attack rolls.

Bulldust grins at his friends as he hastens out the door into the node.  "Gonna get da elf!"  Emerging through the narrow bit, he grows to double his size then continues to within 10' of the elf.  He twirls his chainflail menacingly.  "Hi!  I'm Bulldust."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:02, Mon 02 Nov 2020.

"Bites her Rexes! Prickles her good!" Moffdust shouts to the Howler. "An youse jus keeps burnin up dat funguses Sparkies!" she yells in ignan. "I doesn't likes it at alls." she mutters to the other goblins.

She stands at the barricade peering fiercely over the top and waiting to see what everyone else does before deciding how best to meddle.

Jurz grins across at Moffa and then wiggles his fingers towards the Drow.

Including Dregz in the question, he asks "Maybes we should go and see what Min and Bully does to her?"

Minmorc will lumber after Bully and will loop Southward to come to a halt looming over the drow, bulging muscles vibrating with rage, fangs bared and eyes wide with glaring hatred.

Raven hops up and down trying to see.

"Awk! I can't see her. She's hidden behind all that green stuff. What did she say? It must have been bad!"

Then she hurries forward to get close enough for a better view and a clear shot.

With a glance towards Moffa and Dregz, Jurz follows Raven across the barricade.  However, he foregoes any other actions to hurry past the fire pit to the end of the narrowed passage, where he stops and looks around.

OOC: Double move to T12

"I's gots ter gets where I can sees her." Moffdust tells Jurz. She says a quiet word and turns into a tiny bat, flying up to the wall high above L12 where she can look over the fire and fungus and get a glimpse of the priestess. Gesturing with her tiny hands and incantating in her tiny voice she summons Bands of Steel to restrain the priestess.

"Der drow lady duzzn't likes yer doggie at all," Dregz helpfully provides a translation of her words.  "She sez dat if youse calls him off and let 'er leave she won't kill uz all, and she'll give us dis node."

The little goblin sounds reluctant to oblige her, being rather offended by that fireball, but will accept the will of his tribe should there be a consensus on letting her live.  Assuming she's still alive by the time anyone might pose the question.

Jurz has the right of it ... Dregz hurries after the druid and Moffa-bat, using his boots to peek over the wall before climbing over it.

OOC: Move to R14 ish  :>

Bully rushes after the howler and grows to giant size on the way, whirling his spike chain menacingly.

Moffa urges Sparky to burn more of the thick green fungus and the howler to attack the drow priestess. Sparky burns its way south as order, clearing the way for the howler to lunge forward and bite the drow, incidentally spiking her with one of the quills around its neck as well. It grips the drow in its jaws and shakes her like a rag doll.

Jurz grins at Moffa and calls down another lightning strike on the drow priestess, which strikes her directly. The howler howls horribly as the electrical discharge pulses through its jaws as well but it quickly drops the drow to the floor and takes a step back from her.

Minmorc races after Bully and swings southward around the burning pile of green fungus in the middle of the cave to close in on the drow priestess from the south.

Raven squawks and hurries forward to a better view as well. Jurz races around the other side of the firepit and actually gets ahead of Raven in this race. Moffa transforms into a little bat to fly over the barricade while Dregz follows Raven’s route, helpfully supplying a translation of the drow priestess’s offer to vacate the premises if they will call off the howler and let her go.

Of course, the howler and the lightning strike put an end to such negotiations before they even reached the ears of the rest of Team Arda-Nuff. One look at the sprawled, bloody and charred body of the drow priestess is enough to realise she is well and truly dead.

There is plenty more of that thick green fungus in the four side caves of the Decay Node, but nothing in here shows any sign of movement, apart from Team Arda-Nuff.

OOC: Main Game Map updated. Minmorc’s Bless spell gives everyone +1 on saves vs fear and +1 on attack rolls.

Minmorc will look down at the mess that was a drow and as his rage subsides points and laughs. Jabbing himself with his wand of vigor he will look around bemusedly. "So dis is da Decay node. So we takes her stuff and we takes her body ter Sarch an if we stays ere fer a while an finks really ard we get decay powers..." Minmorc will look straight at Dregz "errr.... do we want decay powers?"

Jurz is pleased that the drow is dead, and he is pleased that the 'Short-Folk' managed quite well.  "Well.  Dat did for hers!"

But it is the fungus that interests him the most.

"Nice doggie.  Leave some fer da rest ov us."  Bulldust hopes howlers know about sharing.

"I don't wand any decay stuff..." he says in reply to Min, frowning at the piles of fungus.  When Jurz looks interested in it he asks Can it really give yer a rotted winkie?"

He looks around to see if there are any more elves hidden behind the fungus, stalking around all the little caves starting with the one on the north, but making sure he doesn't step in any fungus.

What Es Sarch has told you about the Decay Node includes the following:

• It is a natural focus of the forces that cause all matter to decay over time. Some call it a Decay Node, if that means anything to you.
• Any cleric spending a number of hours there can gain access to an additional divine domain – the Decay Domain.
• Anyone who is not a cleric would also gain some affinity with that domain from spending time there; my friend called it a 'Touch of Decay', but I am unsure what that would entail.
• I understand you would need to spend at least eight hours in the Decay Node to benefit from it.
• It is possible that the weeks the priestess has already spent in the Decay Node is longer than is wise.
• Your reward would be access to the Decay Node itself, of course, as well as whatever valuable items Esmar'ra has down there with her.

You can make a knowledge (religion) skill check to remember more that you might have heard before. Even an unskilled knowledge check might reveal something if high enough.

"It don't eat der winkies, it eats der stones." Jurz replies, as he wanders over to a lump of the moss and pulls a handful off, and starts to eat it.

"So whats she's got dats any good?" He asks, walking across to the body of the drow and looking it over.  He is still chewing the moss, but stops to pick a piece of grit from between his teeth.

Bulldust frowns as he searches, trying to think.  He'll share his thoughts aloud if he thinks of anything sensible to say about decay or nodes.

06:11, Today: Bulldust rolled 26 using 1d20+9.  Knowledge arcana decay node

Minmorc will help Jurz loot the drow. He will also drag the salamanders into the decay node where they can be looted more comfortably.

Moffdust hangs from the wall watching the goings-on. She is currently not inclined to enter the stinky rotten place. "Dats enough Rexie, youse did good. Youse can has a bites den off youse goes." The howler takes a meaty mouthful, mumbles a less-efficient howl of happiness and vanishes.

Even with the extensive knowledge bestowed upon him by his Holy Book, Dregz would be in the top ten to admit that such a thing as a Decay domain is beyond his learning.

It certainly doesn't sound sensible at all, though ... the hairy little priest has a natural aversion to losing any bits of his anatomy let alone those he is most fond of.

"Ise certainly don't," he assures Minmorc, as he ponders a moment.  "But Ise heard dat it might grow on youse."

None of you know anything about the Decay Domain, as such, but Dregz and Minmorc do know about the divine domains that they already have access to. They each have access to two domains and from what Es Sarch said it sounds like spending 8 hours in the Decay Node would allow them to add a third domain – the Decay Domain – to their list. That would allow them access to a new spell of each level that they could choose as the domain spells they pray for each day.

They also know that their existing domains each grant them an extra ability of some sort. It might just make it a bit easier for them to learn particular skills, or always walk a bit faster than they normally could, or it might be a more potent power like the feat of strength that Minmorc can use once a day. From what Es Sarch said it sounds like the power granted by the Decay Domain is called a 'Touch of Decay'. There is no sign that everything the drow priestess touched rotted or fell apart, so it is more likely to be something you can choose to use or not, and if it is powerful it is likely to be limited in how often you can use it. Es Sarch implied you don't have to be a cleric to gain that ability.

------------------------------

The salamander that Minmorc cut in half is definitely dead and is already cooling. The first one that he cut down is still too hot to touch. The third salamander fell back into the firepit. You find nothing of value on the two salamanders outside the firepit but looking more closely at the salamander in the firepit you finally notice the glint of lots of bits of shiny metal scattered across the bottom of the firepit. It is difficult to see clearly because of the flames.

---------------------------

The drow priestess is wearing a mithril chainshirt (faint magic aura), a cloak (faint magic aura), a pair of bracers (moderate magic aura), a pair of goggles with reflective gold lenses (faint magic aura) and a silvery dagger (faint magic aura) with a black leather grip and a pommel shaped like a humanoid heart and an inscription on the blade [Language unknown:  "Somoneheroutlar."]. A masterwork light steel shield lies in one of the side caves along with a purse containing 50gp in Pedestal coinage.

Moffdust stops being a bat and sits on the barricade. She calls Sparkie back to her. "Youse done a good jobs burnin up dat funguses Sparkies. Now youse goes in de nice fires and brings me all de shiny metals and jewels."

Calling out again to the party "If youse needs ter works out de magic stuffs I can helps identifies dem." She pops the monocle on her eye and casts Detect Magic.

Minmorc will listen to the musings about the decay domain. "Yer know wot, I fink I'll give decay powers a try." Unless anyone objects he'll make a moss mound for himself and get comfortable.

"I'se don't mind staying" Jurz aggrees with Min.  Then, leaving the treasure to Moffa, who seems to have it all under control, Jurz wanders around the edges of the decay node, checking quickly to make sure that there aren't any other entrances to worry about.

Casually, he takes another handful of the Moss and starts to eat it.  "Itsa gota bitsa grit  ..." he singsongs between mouthfuls.

"I'm not riskin' any ov dat decay stuff." Bulldust looks dubiously at Jurz and Min. "Ma winkie may be safe but I still wouldn't wanna let it eat ma stones."

He shrinks back to normal size as he brings in the shield and purse.  He takes an armful of magic gear over to the fire node and arranges them on the wall around Moffa.  He tests the end on the silver dagger and reads the inscription.  "What's dis s'posed ter mean Moffa?  Now it says "Dinent'ithentcom" but I fink it keeps changing every time I look at it."

Sparkie the small fire elemental leaps into the firepit at Moffa's command but leaps back out again moments later. It is difficult to tell the difference in the sounds it is making now but the volume of crackling sounds from Sparkie has definitely increased. [Language unknown: "Kor yintr ine! Wi ing wer. Dayvenour era t poica! U leonev na a. Mi eing ndeanyble e terromhat stcang."]

Sparkie has emerged empty-handed, too, which is probably not too surprising as it doesn't have hands, nor any solid physical body either.

Moffa puts her monocle in her eye and casts a spell then studies the firepit dubiously before turning her attention to the other four magical items Bully has fetched from the drow priestess. Moffa's inspection of them all stretches on for several minutes.

Moffdust says what she finds out about the items Bully brought over, then she jumps into the fire pit and pretends to be a little green salamander tossing treasure like a slot machine.

From the drow priestess:

• +1 mithril chainshirt
• +1 cloak of resistance
• Greatreach Bracers: 3 times per day, wearer's arms stretch to give 10ft reach for 1 round (value 2000gp, D&D3.5 Magic Item Compendium pp108/109)
• Goggles of the golden sun: wearer is immune to blindness or dazzling; 3/day the wearer can use one of their own 3rd level or higher spell slots to spontaneously cast a Fireball spell at their own caster level (reflex save DC14 for half damage) (value 2000gp, D&D3.5 Magic Item Compendium p205)
• +1 dagger deals an extra 1d6hp damage to helpless creatures and those denied dex bonus to AC or flanked by wielder. (value 3302gp) The blade has an inscription on it in Undercommon.

This message was last edited by the GM at 13:16, Tue 17 Nov 2020.

Has somebody got a shovel? It is going to take Moffa quite a while to toss everything out from the bottom of the firepit.

• Coins: 40000cp, 8000sp, 2200gp
• Masterwork battleaxe (310gp)
• Dwarf-sized full plate (1500gp)
• Small-sized half plate (600gp)

Dregz agrees with Bully and suggests they decamp to somewhere outside the decay node for the duration, preferably with the treasure or as much of it as they can transport.

Sparky's reply about the fire pit brings a frown to the hairy goblin's brow.

"'E sez dat iz notta real fire at all," he translates in case anyone needed to know.

"Notta real fires?" Jurz repeats as he makes his way back to the firepit.  Once there, he holds out his hands towards the firepit, as if to warm them on a cold night.

Jurz's hands do feel warmer near the firepit but no matter how close he gets the flames do not get hot enough to burn him. Nor do they burn Moffa as she waddles around the bottom of the firepit scooping out handfuls of coins and pieces of armour.

"Hmmm. It's warm ..." Jurz turns his back on the firepit and sticks his backside out, just like an old goblin warming his nethers in front of an open fire.  then he casts a spell, and looks back at the firepit, squinting as he does so.  "... buts it don't burn.  I finks it's an hilloosion"

Anyone watching can see that Jurz's backside stuck out far enough to enter the flames of the firepit without any sign of the red goblin experiencing any pain at all.

Jurz scratches his backside, enjoying the warm feeling.

Sparky (Moffa's small fire elemental) drifts over to watch Jurz's antics. It even moves around  behind Jurz to help him really enjoy toasting his backside.

As his posterior suddenly gets much warmer Jurz jumps forwards and gives sparky a strange look.  However, he has finally convinced himself that the rire in the pit is an illusion, and slides down into the pit with Moffa.

Opening up his haversack, he starts piling coins into it.  "We's can empty dem all out again later, an counts den dem!" Jurz offeres by way of explanation.

"Has youse got de big bag?  Dat would be's even easier ..." he calls up to those outside the pit."

Bulldust looks sheepish when Jurz asks for the big bag of holding. "Um, I sold dat ter buy da hair shirt, Jurzie."  He scratches at the itchy shirt.  "But I still got Vera!"  He jumps into the pit with his favourite shovel and really steps up the coin fountain.

He doubles up laughing when Sparkie toasts Jurz.  "Hoo hoo!  Deres a rare goblin!"

Raven walks out to the firepit to watch the goblin treasure hunters at work.

She holds up the drow priestess's goggles and asks Moffa,

"Did yous say she could of made that big bad fireballs three times today? That would have been bad! I'd've been fried alive ... until I wasn't alive. Then fried some more!" she squawks.

Moffdust grins toothily at Raven. "I is too subtles fer fireballs Birdie Girl. One ov de udder goblinses might likes ter makes dem!" She lobs up a heavy mace and calls out its power. 

Small +1 human-bane heavy mace (8312gp)

"Oooooh, I heard o dat little fella mace, der Nutcracker!"

With the extra help it doesn't take too long for all of the salamanders' treasure to be retrieved from the firepit and the counting, resting and relaxation can begin.

The total haul is as follows:

• Coins: 40000cp, 8000sp, 2200gp (total value 3400gp)
• Masterwork battleaxe (value 310gp, sell for 155gp)
• Small-sized half plate (value 600gp, sell for 300gp)
• Dwarf-sized full plate (value 1500gp, sell for 750gp)
• small +1 human-bane heavy mace (Minmorc calls it Nutcracker) (value 8312gp, sell for 4156gp)
• medium-sized +1 mithril chainshirt (value 2100gp, sell for 1050gp)
• +1 cloak of resistance (value 1000gp, sell for 500gp)
• Greatreach Bracers: 3 times per day, wearer's arms stretch to give 10ft reach for 1 round (D&D3.5 Magic Item Compendium pp108/109) (value 2000gp, sell for 1000gp)
• Goggles of the golden sun: wearer is immune to blindness or dazzling; 3/day the wearer can use one of their own 3rd level or higher spell slots to spontaneously cast a Fireball spell at their own caster level (reflex save DC14 for half damage) (D&D3.5 Magic Item Compendium p205) (value 2000gp, sell for 1000gp)
• +1 dagger deals an extra 1d6hp damage to helpless creatures and those denied dex bonus to AC or flanked by wielder. The blade has an inscription on it in Undercommon. (value 3302gp, sell for 1651gp)

Total value is 13,962gp in cash and sell price of items, so everyone's shares are 2,327gp each. (Of course, if someone wants the Nutcracker there might need to be some negotiation.)

All that remains now is to divide up the loot and decide who does and doesn't want to spend the next 8 hours in the Decay Node to gain the promised benefits, whatever they are.

OOC: And the original purpose of this side quest is also achieved. Everyone reaches 36,000XP and can level up to level 9 (or ECL9).

"I'se fink youse should do de Fireball eyes, Dregz." The bald goblin offers once all the treasure is collected and he can climb out of the pit.  "Fink of de fun.  Youse wid de fireballs and me wid de icy storm and de lightning!"

Bulldust is excited about levelling up.
 "I fink I'll buy a new treasure bag.  An I'll grow some claws fer scratchin under dis shirt of itchiness."

"Der new treasure bags is a good idea ..." Jurz agrees.

The priest considers Jurz's suggestion (from a safe distance outside the Decay node).  While he already has a frightening mask, the thought of being able to hurl mighty magics certainly has its appeal, and he has naught else in the way of Bargrivyek's gifts of such fiery power as this.

Besides the goggles sound more suited to warding off the brightness of the upper world, while his mask was made by and for those who live below the surface, so horses for courses as they say around the cookpot (he prefers horse as a first course himself, as there's rarely any left for seconds).

One nagging doubt, though ... "Ise do gods casting ... will der magics spells works for me ?"

OOC: If he can use the Goggles of the Sun then he'll certainly take 'em as his share of the treasure.  :>
This message was last edited by the player at 13:59, Sun 29 Nov 2020.

Experimentation confirms that any spellcaster of any class capable of casting 3rd level spells can use the Goggles of the Golden Sun.

Bulldust looks over all the items but does not want to keep any.  He shrugs "I don't need any ov dese.  Gotta save up fer da shopping bag." He grins at that.

Moffdust claims the +1 mithril shirt. She will search in the city for an armourer or artificer who can make it fit her. "I'se gonna be tuff on de outsides too."

After a good bit of looting and a little bit of thinking, the team is split regarding the decision to stay in the decay node or stay right out of it. Minmorc and Jurz have decided to stay for the required 8 hours but Bully and Dregz don't like the idea at all. Raven eventually decides she will stay too. Moffa hasn't decided yet.

Everyone's shares of the treasure are 2,327gp each. If anyone decides to keep one of the items, they will be counted at sale price of the item.

• Dregz decided to claim the Goggles of the Golden Sun, leaving him 1,327gp to spend.
• Moffa decided to claim the medium-sized +1 mithril chainshirt, leaving her 1,277gp to spend.
• Raven thinks about it and decides that the Greatreach Bracers would be useful for her, leaving her 1,327gp to spend.
• Bully is putting his 2,327gp share towards a Bag of Holding.
• Jurz and Minmorc get 2,327gp each to spend.

Everyone who spends 8 hours in the Decay Node gains the granted power of the clerical Decay Domain: You may use a touch of decay once per day. Your touch of decay is a supernatural ability that causes putrescence in organic matter and weakens inorganic matter. You must succeed on a melee touch attack to affect a creature (using the rules for touch spells). If you touch a living creature including constructs with the living subtype, you deal 1d4 points of Constitution damage. If you touch an undead creature, an object, or a construct without the living construct subtype, you deal 2d6 points of damage +1 point per cleric level. As this requires a melee touch attack there is no saving throw, and as it is a supernatural effect spell resistance doesn't apply.

If anyone changes their mind after Minmorc, Jurz and Raven complete their 8 hours and do not appear to be harmed, there is still time as no time limit was set in Es Sarch's invitation.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:21, Sat 19 Dec 2020.

Dregz eyes those who chose to brave the Decay Node with some trepidation, as if they might now be horribly contagious.  Whether deliberately or otherwise he seems to shift slightly whenever they approach as if to keep some distance betwixt he and they, and is constantly watching them with concern for any sign of disease.

The priest gives Bully 1000GP of his share of coin to help with the purchase of the Magic Bag - such a wonder is for the benefit of the whole tribe after all ... and besides, the coin is more than he can possibly carry!
This message was last edited by the player at 12:39, Wed 16 Dec 2020.

"Dat's a good ideas.  Den he won't sells it again ..." Jurz says as he hands over 1000gp towards the purchase of a 'Shopping Bag' as well.  Then he looks around the others  "He's might be able to gets a bigger shopping bag is wes all put some of de money in..."

Raven thinks for a moment then bobs her head up and down.

"I want to get my crossbow magicked up some more but I have money left over from before, so I can afford to chip in for the shopping bag too," she squawks.

She also hands over 1000gp worth of treasure to add to the shopping bag fund.

"I was thinking of making my crossbow flaming or frosty or shocking. My scimitar is shocking, so maybe flaming or frost for my crossbow. What do you think is best?" she asks.

Setting fires to fings is fun ... Jurz opines with a broad grin, "But dat ain't much good wiv sally manders."  then he grins and  continues "But de cold stuff would sends a shivers down dere spines!"

OOC: Bags of Holding costs are as follows:

• Type I, weighs 15 lb, holds 250 lb or 30 cu ft, costs 2,500gp
• Type II, weighs 25 lb, holds 500 lb or 70 cu ft, costs 5,000gp
• Type III, weighs 35 lb, holds 1,000 lb or 150 cu ft, costs 7,400gp
• Type IV, weighs 60 lb, holds 1,500 lb or 250 cu ft, costs 10,000gp

This message was last edited by the GM at 15:11, Wed 16 Dec 2020.

OOC:  So far we have enough for one type two -  OR two type one bags of holding.  I wonder if two Type one bags might be a better option?

Jurz, however, is saving up for a Portable Hole.  He quite fancies having a home away from home!

Minmorc will waggle his fingers at Dregz "Dun worry Dregzie, I now got der power ter drain der life outta sumefing. Corse, I gots more power when punchin der life outta sumfing but is good ter has options. Birdie Girl, der was dis elven adventurer once wot was really cleva, he had a bow dat was all crackly wid electrickery an he had some arrows wot was burny an sum arrows wot was freezy. So sum of der boys got zapped an froze an sum of der boys got zapped an burned. But den e ran out of arrows an we ate him. But der bow an arrow trick was pretty cleva. Well, I gots nuffin I wanna buy so ere's my gold." Minmorc will offer his share and some of the money he still had (2,500 gps) but will keep a few hundred for snacks.

Minmorc's optimism soothes Dregz's concerns but a little ... but he's more agitated by the dreams that the Magic Stick keeps sending his way.

"Der's a glass dragin statue an' whitely pale giants," the priest shares, "sometimes der giants are in front ov mese an' sometimes dey are behinds mese.  Dey are scary wandrin' ghostly giants !  And der dragin statue talks. Dey are all terry-fye'in' !"

OOC: The Bag of Holding fund is going well !  I've got a couple of hundred more gold coins if we're getting close to a matching set of luggage ! ;>

Jurz shivers at the thought of pale giants and see-through dragons, they remnids him of the snow-giants the older goblins used to make to try and scare the littler ones ...  "Was it colds, in youse dream?"

OOC:  lets just get a Type II and make Bully carry it.  With a promise of something unpleasant happening to his family jewels if he ever sells it again!  Unless, of course, we want to really go for a portable hole?  I'll chuck in the rest of my loot from here  (which is all I have)  if we want to try for a Portable hole.

When Dregz thinks about it he realises it was indeed cold in his dream.

"Wuz hard ta tell, I wuz shiv'rin' so much cos der dragin and der white giants were so scary !" the priest admits to Jurz.  "But ... yez, it wuz freezin' cold too."

"Ise glad Ise got dis cloak den !  Iz prolly gonna be ver' cold when der Magic Stick takeses uz to der place I dreamded ov !"

"Well then, that makes my choice a lot easier. If we's going somewhere colds then I want to shoot them with red hot bolts. I will get my crossbow magicked to be flaming," Raven decides out loud.

Bulldust grins shamefacedly as his friends all chip in towards a new bag (after he sold their old one!).  His fingers have now grown nice strong dragon claws, just perfect for counting shinies with.  "A fousand each from Dregzie, Jurzie and da Birdie Girl is free fousand.  A fousand from Moffa, one-an-a-half fousand from me ... dat means one fousand nine hundred from Min an we can buy da Type Free Bag!  But we's well short of a pop-up-hole, dat's twenty fousand.  Shall we settle fer a bag or save fer a hole?"

Minmorc, Jurz and Raven spent the required 8 hours decomposing resting in the Decay Node while the rest of the team got a head start on spending the loot taken from the drow cleric and her salamanders.

When Minmorc, Jurz and Raven rejoin them, Team Arda-Nuff reports back to Es Sarch at the Dripstone Inn to report mission accomplished and enjoys a complementary meal on the house, for their efforts.

The next day everyone is able to finish off their shopping at the Grand Bazaar and after a final sleep at the Dripstone Inn everyone is ready to depart.

Dregz still seems to be having those same dreams again, although his previous description doesn't make it sound too inviting.





OOC: I will pause here to allow any further discussion, shopping, spell preparation, or any other preparations you think advisable before saying the magic word to activate the Black Mace to teleport you in search of the final segment of the Black Mace.

"I tinks we's buyin de Type 3 Bags den." Moffdust votes. With so many goblins it will be a 'bag of trouble'.

She's ready to go. Dregzie an Jurzies, I'se learned how to casts some of you'se spellses- Cure Serious Woundses an Restorations... jus letting youse knows so's you don't needs ter troubles ole Bargrivyeks or de Faeries fer dose every days, if yer doesn't wants ter."

"Dat landing does sounds scary Dregzie, dem giants can squashes us inter dere bags! I can does Clairvoyance ter looks at gems, but not if its miles aways. I tinks we's better be quiets when we's getting in dere, an all spelled up fer a fights! I'll summon sometings quiet dis times". She grins, although she did like little Sparky but he's not sneaky enough.

The little goblin nods cautiously at Moffa's revelation, pleased that there'll be another who can help keep his tribe alive, but not daring to ask which god might be lending his kinswoman the power.

He's on safer footing and nods with much more enthusiasm as she voices her thoughts on keeping it quiet and sneaky, though with Bully and Min around that might take a miracle !

The recurring dreams leave Dregz more wild eyed than usual and do naught but increase his worries.

"Duz youse fink dat wese gonna need furz n' stuff ta keeps uz warm ?" the priest suggests, worried that his cloak, magical though it is, may not be enough to keep icy cold at bay.

Jurz grins across at Moffa, impressed by her new ability, "Dat's good." Jurz avers, "I's normally leaves dose to Dregzie."

Then turns his attention to Dregz question, "I'se don't knows." Jurz frowns, "But a furry coat might bes a good idea.  It we's get der white furry coats, we's can pretends to be der polar bears ..."  Well, Jurz can pretend to be a polar bear anyway and there is always that Endure Elements spell he's learned.

While Minmorc became one with the decay node he was so bored that he actually thought ahead a bit. He will reach out to Nuffle to give him some magic to fight the cold and will store an inflict spell in the Axe wife. After sharing a meal with Es Sarch he will put the final arrangements in place for the fledgeling teams to continue training to be ready for the first ever world cup. These preparations done and wearing his new dragon leather buccaneers coat and tricorn he feels ready for anything.

"Wot if dere's tings der dat wanna eat Poley Bears ?" Dregz worries.  The thought is enough to drive a goblin to prayer !

"Den dey probly wanna eat Goblin's anyway ..." Jurz replies casually to Dregz.

"An we's need to get Rog before we's go." he adds firmly.

"Dat's true ..." Dregz agrees unhappily with Jurz's menu suggestion.

"Wese'll 'ave ter go back to der surfice ta get Rog before wese use der Magic Stick, den," the priest notes.

"Noes we don't.  Rog der big bat, is  probly hanging on de outside walls of de inn ..."

Eventually everyone is ready to face the cold environment of Dregz'z dream, which promises to be the home of glass dragons and white giants. Rog the direbat flaps down from wherever he had roosted to rejoin Jurz. Dregz holds up the nearly complete Black Mace, makes sure everyone is gathered close around him, then speaks the magic word – "Wyrd!"

Instantly the whole group is teleported away from the City of Pedestal and reappears moments later ... at the southwest corner of the Great Grotto, looking back across the Sullen Sea at the City of Pedestal glittering on the far shore of that dark, underground lake.

Team Arda-Nuff finds itself back almost exactly where they first entered this huge underdark cavern – the 30-foot diameter crater of an Earth Node that is magically linked to another Earth Node accessible from the surface world. Thinking back, the spellcasters in the team remember that someone needs to channel a second-level spell into the floor of this Earth Node to transport the whole group back to the other Earth Node linked to this one.

OOC: Game Map for Group 0 provides an overall map of the Great Grotto.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:11, Mon 04 Jan 2021.

Bulldust looks around the node and along the road.  "Where's Brufwol?"

"Ime gettin good at Noooo dz, if yer all makes a circle in ere I'll put in der Nuffle power."

"You'ze sending de Noood dz?" Jurz  asks as he joins in the circle.

Puzzled "Do we take our cloves off?"  What's noodz?  He joins the circle, trusting Min with if not Nuffle.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:17, Wed 06 Jan 2021.

"Dis iz not colds !"  Dregz is mightily puzzled, and is still frowning as he follows the others to Min's circle, shaking the Magic Stick in the fine tradition of percussive maintenance, hoping to set it aright.

Min will look at Dregz and will go cross eyed as he tries to remember what happened backwards. "So der wand can ony take us ter der outside of somefing den point der way. It brought us ter a cave an we went inside inside through a nooooooo dz, so we gotta go outs the inside inside an den leave der cave. If der white giants an der glass dragon was inside sumfing den der mace will take us near. Mebbe der will be udder giants first, dat way I could fights a stumpy giant den a rocky giant den a red giant den a white giant so's I know oo I'm der boss of an oo's still my boss."

Glad to see that Dregz is getting into the right spirit, Jurz waves his stompy stick back, setting all the favours and decorations jangling.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:39, Sat 09 Jan 2021.

With all of Team Arda-Nuff (including Rog the dire bat) gathered close around Minmorc at the centre of the crater, he punches his spiked gauntlet into the ground and channels a spell from Nuffle into the earth node. Moments later everyone finds themselves back in the other Earth Node they visited ten days ago.

This cavern has a diameter of about 60 feet at the bottom, forming a roughly circular, smooth floor. The air here is alive with energy and thick with the smell of developing lightning. Small holes puncture the walls near the floor, opening into a dozen small tunnels (only about 2.5 feet in diameter). You are able to see down each of those small tunnels for 10 to 30 feet before each tunnel bends out of sight in the darkness. Dull dust is thickly heaped around the edges of this circular hollow, thickest near the holes but is not deep enough to hide the piles of dead cockroaches that you swept out to the edges of the cave after your previous visit. The corpses of the half dozen giant cockroaches you fought here are still lying where they were dumped after the fight.

The roof of the cavern stretches up in the darkness too far for even the keenest darkvision to see the top. It is still the same empty, vertical shaft that you previously descended. From memory it was about 150 feet up to the tunnel that you entered from. Moffa's feather fall magic got you all safely down but getting back up again is going to be a different challenge.

OOC: Main Game Map updated.

"Ise got Magic Boots," Dregz reminds everyone as he stares up the shaft.  "Enybuddy got ropes ?"

Raven quickly pulls out a 50-foot coil of silk rope and a grappling hook from her backpack.

"I got my golden girdle, too. Very good for going up but it don't know how to stop, or how to come back down again! I gotta untie the knot, then I come down quick, quick, quick! It's good I can glide some, isn't it?" Raven added.

Jurz looks upwards trying to remember how wide the shaft was, and wondering whether he and Rog could fly up together.

"I'se got de magic boots too." he reminds everyone.

From what you remember of your previous journey the shaft is about 60ft diameter at the base, the same size as this Earth Node, and tapers to about 20ft diameter at the tunnel opening 150 feet above the Earth Node. It continued to narrow down above the tunnel opening but was blocked by webs some distance above the tunnel.

Rog the dire bat would be able to fly up this vertical shaft.

Bulldust already has one foot in the Bag of Holding, expecting someone to float him up.

"I can magic de rest of usses up dere wid Dimension Doorses, jus as soon as I can see's de landing places. So after youse brave goblins an de Birdie Girls flies up dere an lights de ways we'll be straight up!" Moffdust can take herself and three others, and no one has to go in a bag unless they wants to.

Minmorc will continue to help stuff Bully in a bag. "Wot?"

Bulldust laughs and let's Min pull the draw-string tight with only his head sticking out of the bag. He waddles around the node. "I'm da walkin talkin treasure Draglin!" Grinning, he climbs out of the bag before lift off.

Seeing that the plan is agreed, Jurz will mount Rog ready to let the direbat fly him up to the cave above.

"Wese'll follow youse," Dregz tells Jurz.  Seeing as how the druid is mounted upon Rog, he really doesn't want to get in their way.

"Youse hold on ta me," the priest tells Raven, "I knows how ta stop."

The little goblin pulls on his Goggles of the Golden Sun in preparation.

"Can youse cast a Light spell on me ?" he suggests to Moffa, getting ready to lift off, thinking that'll be the best way to give her the clarity she needs for her transportation spell.

Moffdust is ready with the Dimension Door spell as soon as Bully is out of the bag. "De Birdie Girl's glowin swords is enough lights fer me. We'll lands before youse, jus as soon as I sees de landings. I thinks dere was someting nasties in de webs last times, so lets all waits till we's all outa de shafts before we lights dem up."

The plan for the ascent is swiftly agreed and put into action. Jurz rides upon his dire bat to lead the way up the shaft with Raven using her golden girdle and Dregz using his boots of levitation to levitate up the shaft after Rog and Jurz. Raven's glowing rapier lights the way, providing 20ft of light and 40ft of low-light for those who need it.

Raven's light even lets those waiting below see that the shaft narrows to 20ft diameter by the time the side tunnel is reached. Then moments later the dense mass of webs that blocks the shaft 10 feet above the tunnel opening comes into view.

That view of the tunnel mouth is all that Moffa was waiting for and she casts her Dimension Door spell to teleport herself, Bully and Minmorc up to materialise on that ledge.

Just as everyone arrives a voice with a hiss or a lisp speaks in the common tongue from the webs above.

"It is you folks again! I thought you all looked familiar, but you had another goblin and no dire bat when you entered, didn’t you? Did you trade the goblin for the dire bat? That would certainly be a good deal! Oh, sorry, I nearly forgot to ask. Do you still remember the password or will you be paying the exit fee this time?"

OOC: Main Game Map updated.

Passwords sounds like another of those puzzling matters, like barricades and nodes, but Bulldust has a go.  "Dregzie knew da password.  It was Dusklorn.  If youse changed it den you better tell us da new one."

"That's still the password," the voice from the webs replies, sounding rather relieved. "You may pass, friends. Perhaps I will see you again one day, if you return to use the earth node again. But make sure you remember that password. If someone else is here on guard when you return you will need it or a sack full of gold to pass through safely. I hope you enjoy your time in the surface world."

"OK, so we don't have ter burn yer house down.  You have a nice day in da webs too."  Bulldust helps to pull Dregz and Raven onto the ledge.  "How did yer know da password Dregzie?  Was it in da book?"

When all are ready he'll set off towards the surface, determined to ignore the whispering voices in the tunnel this time.

"Bargrivyek wisped der password tah me," the hairy little goblin tells Bully, pointing at his ear for good measure.

Dregz follows after the bugbear, also wary of the voices, just in case they are the utterings of some other god, not his own.

Jurz, feeling somewhat lazy, but also exhilarated by the flight up the crevice, stay aboard Rog and  guides him to follow the group.

Bulldust surreptitiously tries to look in Dregs' ear, to see if Bargrivyek is still in there, but it's too hairy so he shrugs and marches on.

The tunnel is about 5 feet wide and 7 feet high, roughly hewn with the marks of pick and chisel clearly discernible on the walls, with wooden posts supporting the walls and ceiling where required. There is no light in the tunnel and no brackets for torches or hooks for lamps on the walls It heads roughly northwards and slopes upwards at a gradient of about one in four, which is reasonably steep but not difficult to walk up.

Raven's magical rapier sheds 20ft radius light (40ft radius low light) when it is unsheathed, so Raven can see 40ft along the tunnel when she draws her rapier. Everyone else has 60ft darkvision, which is not affected by the light.

The tunnel climbs for about a mile before a tiny spot of daylight ahead marks the end of the tunnel. As you get closer you faintly start to hear the unintelligible words of a mournful song in a deep, bass voice that seems echo faintly down the tunnel. As you get close to the entrance individual words can be picked out, if not understood.

OOC: Main game map updated. The tunnel slopes up to emerge amid a tumbled mass of boulders at the base of a mountain and is not obstructed by them. Anyone exiting the tunnel will be looking northward across a narrow valley between mountains in a rocky mountain range. It is bright daylight out there and after so many days underground you will all be dazzled at first and will need at least one round for your eyes to adjust to the bright light, so presumably nobody will be charging out straight away.

Having crushed his enemies, driven them before him and now hearing the lamentation of their women Minmorc will comment "Dey are lamenting, dis is best" and will cast bless on the party. He will wait inside the cave entrance until his eyes have adjusted before going out into the light.

"Dey've fludded der can-yon wid der tears," Dregz struggles to make sense of the words in light of Minmorc's pronouncement.

The bright light is the little goblin's cue to pull on his Goggles of the Sun, and he breathes a sign of relief as the lenses block the nasty dazzle.

Jurz tries to distract himself from the voices and  rattles his stompy stick as  Rog lands close to the cave entrance.

Moffdust shields her eyes and squints out into the valley, puzzled by the vague statements coming from the clerics. "I'se gonna casts de Tongues spells, den I can talk to dems an cheers dem ups!" She casts Tongues.

After waiting a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the daylight outside, allowing Moffa time to cast a spell of Tongues upon herself,  Team Arda-Nuff finally exits from the tunnel and spreads out around the cave mouth.

The singing stops abruptly as the first ones emerge from the tunnel but they can tell it was coming from somewhere among the rocks above or behind the tunnel entrance.

However, in the distance, perhaps a thousand feet away to the north across the valley and the stream at the bottom of the valley, you see movement on the far side of the valley. Three stone giants appear to be taking turns throwing a large rock at each other, catching it and throwing it again.

OOC: Main game map updated.

"So doz anyone wanna play catch wid der rock giants or yer wanna go straight ter playin fetch wid der white giants?"

Jurz considers for a moment then asks "Or shoulds we go see who was doing de singing?"

"Der singer iz singin' abou' der giantses an' der stones an' der river,"  Dregz supplies helpfully.  "Dat's ..." he counts on his fingers "... two timeses dat dey've sung abou' der water.  Dey mus' really like water !"


"Oo likes water dat much ?" the little goblin puzzles over this conundrum.  "Water giantses ?"

Moffdust pats a random stone distractedly. "Yes, dey is tellin de news in poetries. Dey says "As fer de giants throwin stoneses, its written in dere boneses, but all tings comes and goeses as de rivers slowly growses."

She shrugs. "Let's go hide from de frosties. Has we's got de furs or de magics wot makes us not catch coldses?" She looks around hopefully. She summons a winter wolf and pats its shaggy shoulder. "Dis is Frosties. Youse gonna helps us gettin around in de ice caves, an maybe youse will finds a girlfriends down dere, right Frosties?"

Following Moffdust's lead, Dregz prays to Bargrivyek to protect him from inclement climatic conditions, in preparation for the jump to the cold place.

"Anybuddy elze want wun ?" he inquires of his tribe, peering out from behind his thick fringe, Magic Stick at the ready and the Magic Word presssing at his lips.


OOC: Cast Endure Elements: Exist comfortably in hot/cold environments for 24 hrs.  Dregz had that spell memorised twice, so can cast it again (and a third time if he uses his Pearl of Power), plus has 2 x Endure Elements potions.  Never let it be said that Bargrivyek doesn't look after us !  ;>

"Yes please Dregzies! I doesn't likes de furs, deys heavy if youse not growin dem youselfs."

"Nah, I'm all good Dregzie, got ma cold weavver cloving." He pulls on wooly socks and gloves, and a furry hat and cloak.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:45, Sat 13 Feb 2021.

"I's can do's my own," Jurz defers when Dregz offers endure elements around.  "An' I'se can grow de fur too!" he tells Moffa proudly.

"I gots dat trick too, cheers doh Dregz. Moffa can yer casts der spell on me wot lets yer talk ter folks? I wanna go see if der stoners wanna play nuffle ball. If dey not wanna I'll leg it, so we might need ter use der rod quick like."

Dregz hurriedly and worriedly casts der spell on Moffa, and has a potion ready should Raven need it, ushering everyone together into a circle ready for if/when Minmorc returns at speed.

As soon as Moffa casts her Tongues spell on Minmorc he runs off toward the stream at the bottom of the valley, heading toward one of the three stone giants. The giants don't notice him at first as they are having too much fun throwing rocks at to each other, so he will be able to reach the stream before they notice him, unless he tries to attract their attention first.

OOC: Here is a rough map of where they are located and distances involved. The stream is only about 10ft wide but looks deep enough and fast enough that crossing it may be difficult. (The arrows on the stream indicate which way the water is flowing.)
Minmorc, which giant are you heading towards and do you try to attract their attention?

                                    SG2
                 <-300ft->           ^              <-300ft->
SG1                                  |                                  SG3
 ^                                 400ft                                 ^
100ft                                |                                 100ft
 v                                   v                                   v
Stream~~~~>~~~~~~~~>~~~~~~~~>~~~~~Stream~~~~~~~~>~~~~~~~~>~~~~~~~~>~~~Stream
                                     ^
                                     |
                                   600ft
                                     |
                                     v
                                   Party  

This message was last edited by the GM at 13:47, Sun 14 Feb 2021.

With the gift of tongues Minmorc will move out of the cave and 20ft west along the cliff face and will attempt to address the mysterious singer.
Minmorc will then head about four hundred feet West along the cliff to disguise where he's come from before cutting back on an angle to approach the furthest stone giant to the West (SG1). As he moves he will cast enlarge on himself and will get a nuffle ball from his bag. He will cross the stream roughly 50 ft East of SG1 and when he sees that he has gained the stone giants attention he will raise a hand and address them in their own booming language.

Bulldust sits on a stone ledge and swings his feet above the valley, appreciating the daylight and the ability of the gods to display the landscape in lines of text, as he watches Min taking the long way around then chatting with the giants.  He takes off his fur coat when he gets too hot.

Moffdust sits with Bulldust and trains Frostie the Fiendish Dire Wolf (not a winter wolf after all, oops, but certainly used to a cold day in hell) to sit... and not eat goblins. After a while she lies down and whispers to the stone ledge "Hello rockses. Can youse turn de musics up again, pleeease?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:51, Fri 19 Feb 2021.

Dregz wriggles uncomfortably for his new dragonhide pants are chafing, and continues to worry - somewhat about disembodied voices but moreso about the rather too present forms of the giants.

Bully seems the ideal point around which to gather everyone close, which the little priest attempts by dints of whimpers and general plaintive urging, certain that a rapid retreat will soon become very necessary.

Jurz looks at all the open sky around them and grins toothily.  "I's goin for a ride ..." he says happily as he urges Rog into the air.

Bulldust grins at Dregz as the green goblin tries to settle.  "Don't worry Dregzie.  If dey frow rocks at us I'll jus catch em.  Looks easy enouff!"

As soon as giant Minmorc crosses the stream the 3 stone giants shout in alarm. The closest one (SG1) grabs his greatclub off the ground nearby and runs back toward SG2, while SG3 grabs his own greatclub and runs to join them. SG2 still has a large rock clutched in both hands threateningly.

Before Minmorc can even begin his speech and performance that middle giant shouts threateningly.

Minmorc stands his ground and snarls at the giants.

As he speaks he spins the Nuffle ball and then starts to juggle it in a large slow circle. As the ball loops through the air it appears to swell until its nearly double its size and from the way that Minmorc handles it has considerably increased in weight. Small gusts of wind stir up dozens of twisters, sand and leaves that for brief seconds appear to be armoured Orcs rushing armoured ogres amidst crowds of cheering fans. Several of the twisters merge to form a towering stone giant who hurls a ball that blasts apart the other whirlwinds and explodes into cheering fans.

Once the explanations are finished they still look a bit doubtful but no longer actively hostile or even particularly worried by Minmorcs presence.

When Minmorc return he seems pretty grumpy. "Dey gots a chance ter play der greatest game ever and dey too lazy ter leave der mountain... Bah. Least there's a chance Der young uns might be keen. When Jurz gets back let's get outta ere aye? Cor dat looks like fun, jus flyin around."

When he sees Minmorc heading back to the group, Jurz brings Rog down to land as well.

OOC:I'm ready.

When everyone is gathered close (and resisting to speak aloud the wicked, wicked thought that they might attempt to take one of the stone giants with them), Dregz holds up the Magic Stick and intones the Magic Word.

"WYRD !"

"Dats too bad Min.  Cool leaf show, I fought dey'd go fer it ... Wah!  We're off again."  He remembers to shut his mouth and go stealth mode just as they disappear.