The noted healer Zmeya Mchet has been breeding shadow cats for years, the breed is swift and sleek, very much in demand if you can get one.

Vsadnik Vetra is to be inducted as an Orlanthi priest in three days, a two-day ride away from here in Clearwine. Zmeya has just weaned a kitten and wants to give it to Vsadnik as a gift to be the vessel of an allied spirit in honour of a promise made many years ago. She cannot leave the temple she works in and as you are her closest friend she has asked you to take the kitten to Vsadnik's installation.

She promises you a point of Heal or Protect as a reward and thanks for this task.

The journey will be through fairly wild and unsettled uplands, but not too dangerous or she'd be seeking a party of warriors for the job. In honour of your years of friendship and a desire to get out for a while you decide to take the road to Clearwine and deliver the shadow kitten.

Decide what you will take with you on your horse. Zmeya gives you a pack of supplies for the trip there and back and waves you off as you leave your steading.

Harnst looked warmly across at his friend and sometimes lover, "Have no fear Zmeya the little one will safe with me.  I do you have something safe I can carry the little fellow in?" he asked watching the kitten attack his boots.  "Has he a name by chance?"

Zmeya hands you a large, soft leather pouch decorated with the Orlanthi wheel of three cats in stylised, graceful leather quilting.

"No, good friend Harnst. I don't give them litter-names, I've always felt that to be bad luck. But you have good luck on the tracks over the hills and don't worry, Ice-Troll Pass should be relatively free of snow by now." She gives you the indulgent smile of a life-long friend sending a companion into danger.


The first day is uneventful. Even though it is Storm Season the air is cool and clear, perfect for riding. There is a layer of snow on the ground which is as deep as a hand on the track but deeper under the trees and the shaded banks. The snow is beginning to melt, Sea Season is not far away - six weeks ago this trip would have been far more difficult. A sheltered grove in a little hollow looks like a comfortable place to spend the night so  you tether your horse and prepare for rest, ensuing that the sleepy kitten is warm and fed.

You awaken refreshed the next morning, ready to continue your journey when you notice with horror that the kitten is missing.

Angrily you circle the camp looking for tracks . . .

(Please make a 'Track' roll)

With a heavy sigh Harnst set about searching for the small feline Son of a bitch he thought to himself as he dropped down into the snow.

Your brow furrows when you follow the kitten's tracks. They go for a short way and then you see what look like the marks of unshod human feet in the snow. These new tracks had circled your camp, seemingly looking for something to steal, then they appeared to have picked up the kitten and moved off through heavy brush and rocky terrain that you would not be able to follow on your horse.

What do you do?

"Outlaw I'll wager if he eats that kitten I'll skin him for boots." Harnst muttered to himself looking at the tracks.  He turned back and looked over at his horse and sighed before returning to his camp.

He quickly set about securing his saddle and other gear he could not carry in a tree before releasing the horse after laying out some food for it.  Hopefully enough that it would stay close by for a few days while he tracked the thief down.

With a final rub of the animals nose he whispered "Stay and eat and hopefully I will return but keep safe my friend" Then he set off after the miscreants.

You follow the tracks for about an hour through heavy brush and up rocky ground, having to have left your horse behind in the hollow. The tracks, often lost but always found again, lead to an ancient square structure of very old design. You suspect it might be a small earth temple or shrine and it looks to be hundreds of years old. The heavily sculptured exterior is weathered and eroded, not giving any hint to what gods, if any, were once venerated here.

You cautiously circle the building and see that there are no apertures apart from a door facing south. The door is not wood but a heavy sculpted stone slab however there are no vines covering the opening like the rest of the building. The tracks lead up to the door and disappear.

Obviously there is but one option, to enter.


You carefully push your shoulder to the slab and it pivots without much trouble. Inside it is dim but not dark, in a corner a small clay oil lamp's wick gives off enough light to see. There is no one else in the room.

This appears to once have been an entry hall or atrium. The roof overhead is vaulted and the walls are carved in geometric shapes. Before you is what appears to have been an altar or some sort of bench but it has been struck many times by what may have been a work maul. The top is smashed to pieces.

Alarmingly two runes have been daubed on the far wall in some dark, viscous substance. They are the chaos rune and the death rune.

There is a door to either side of you, one in the east wall and one in the west wall. The dark pavement shows no marks.

Chaos, just what I need today Harmast thought to himself as he looked at the runes on the wall he glanced from left to right at the doorways neither seemed a good choice and he tightened his grip on the spear he held in his right hand.

"Just a quick trip you thought you bloody fool, Eurmals own luck the blood6 cat decides to wonder off in the night he sighs again before moving carefully across the room to the door on his left.

The door is of similar construction but thinner than the outer door. You push up against the lichen encrusted stone and it slides open, showing you another room. This room is square as well and you think that each room in the shrine will be the same, probably a mystical relation with the square earth rune.

There are no occupants visible.

The room is almost dark, the only light penetrating it is from the little lamp behind you in the first room.

Inside are many large jars of varying sizes, shapes and positions. They seems to have been stacked here over the years. The walls are still carved in geometric shapes but the patterns are larger here and have a recurring motif of superimposed squares.

There is another door in the north wall.

(Please make a Listen roll)

As you stand in the dim doorway you suspect that you can hear soft snoring from the next room through the door.

Harnst paused at the doorways unsure how to proceed forward I to the dark room.  He opened his mouth and tried to use his hunters senses to listen for a clue or well anything to indicate he was on the right path.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:26, Wed 21 Sept 2022.

With a quick mental prayer Harnst moved silently into the room searching for the source of the soft snoring and hoping to find the kitten quickly.

This room is similar to the last, right down to continuing the same carved designs on the walls. There is another door on the opposite side of the room. Like every room you have entered so far it is square and five metres across. If this plan continues there should be nine rooms in the shrine, organised in a grid.

In the room are boxes, sacks and baskets. There seems to be enough food here to last a season at least and the type of food is widely varied. Unlike the ancient shrine the supplies all seem recent.

You will need to bring the lamp in to see as it is almost pitch black.

Now you hear very loud snoring, the snoring being so loud it had originally penetrated two rooms!*

Do you wish to search this room?

(*Good save there for Jim)

Harnst quietly returned to find the lamp and returned to the room placing it somewhere high if possible then he quickly cast his eye over the foodstuffs, was it loot or traded goods he wondered.

He stopped to listen for the snoring before moving into the next room.

This room is, as you suspected, square like the others. It seems that the builders of the shrine took the Earth Rune motif seriously. It has two doors, one by which you entered in the south wall and one in the east wall.

The first thing that attracts your attention is a heavily-built man, savage-looking with wild hair and filthy but you see in shock that he has a third eye growing above his right eye and his mouth is simply a black sucker. He is wearing a heavily padded tunic and is fast asleep. Beside him on the ground is a heavy bladed spear, a thick club and a light targe. He is snoring like a lord*.

The room has been set up as a camp and you suspect that the mutant spends most of its time here. There's a paillasse lying in the corner on which it lies.  A few blocks and rocks have been piled up to make a fireplace and the walls and roof are streaked with soot. It must be very smoky in here with the fire burning as there's nowhere for the smoke to escape. A couple of battered earthenware bowls and a clay jay filled with water which you suspect have been taken from one of the earlier rooms are the sum total of the wretched being's belongings. Here's a lesson for you; mess with chaos and you'll die poor.

(*Or a Jim for that matter)

Actions? No matter what you do you will need another Stealth roll.

Harnst sneaks over to the sleeping figure revulsion clear upon his face. He took hold of the spear with both hands a d plunges it into the chaos things neck.

The spear plunge's into the mutant's neck and it rears up, clutching the shaft. It erupts into  a horrific frenzied thrashing as you grimly hang into the spear. Slowly its convulsions cease and thick black blood gouts from the wound. The lamp flickers and the corpse stiffens in the dim light.

Gasping, you wrench the spear from the corpse and look warily around for other threats. Nothing.

It occurs to you that you didn't search either of the two proceeding rooms due to your need for stealth.

Breathing heavily Harnst placed his foot on the chaos creatures chest and pulled his spear out of creatures neck.  He stepped back and cleaned off his spear blade as best he can.  Then he moved to the next door and listened hoping nothing had heard the creatures thrashing.

Pressing his head to the cool stone slab that is the door, Harnst hears nothing.

Falling back to the previous room Harmast retrieved the lamp and returned placing it in a safe spot he opened the door into the next room.

Placing the lamp on the floor, you open the door and look into the room. With a start you see a motionless figure standing in front of the door in the flickering lamp light. The figure is a rotten horror of bones wearing decayed chain mail carrying a falcata and a heavy buckler. The old bones are wrapped on wagged grave windings. A cloud of dust and fragments falls from it as it raises its shield and lurches toward you, falcata held ready to cut.

The spear point slices through the armour in a spray of corroded rings and shatters its thigh. Its leg drop out from under it and it uses it's shield arm to support itself so it can mindlessly continue the fight. You recoil in horror, knowing that to be a killing blow. What does it take to destroy this abomination!?

Harnst recoiled leaving his spear stuck in the things thigh.  He fell back preparing to cast a spell of disruption.  Then went to pick up the dead mutants spear.

Stepping back into the dim lamp-lit room you hear a malignant hiss as the thing crawls after trailing its spear-spit leg behind it. The lamp flickers wildly as you loose your spell but you realise the dead thing has no soul to target, it's a nightmare monster from beyond the grave.
You snatch up the mutant's heavy-bladed spear and prepare to fight for you life and soul.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:44, Thu 22 Sept 2022.

Lunging forward Harnst strikes at the creature with the unfamiliar Spear feeling it strike the creature true but bounce off he whipped the spear around to parry its return blow.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:50, Thu 22 Sept 2022.

The corroded chain takes the brunt of your stab and the creature stabs up with its falcata which is only just deflected away by the thick cornel-wood of the mutant's spear shaft.

Inexorably it crawls after you in the dark, a limbus of grave fire lurking in its hollow eye sockets under the brim of its Agen helm.

"Just bloody die again!" Harnst exclaimed as he stabbed at the creature again once more striking the leg.

After a flurry of blows the monster sinks onto its one remaining arm. With a grimace of loathing you crush it with thrown rocks as it slowly drags itself around the room after you. Finally the malignant light in tis eye-sockets dims and goes out.

Panting with breath you look around. The room is very bare, without even the geometric patterns engraved in the walls elsewhere that you have been so far. The only feature is the smashed pile of bones and its armour and weapons.

There is another door, time for another effort at listening.

Breathing heavily Harnst pulled the armour and sword of the creature then fell back into the room he had slain suckerface.  He checked the gear out in the flickering light of the lamp while keeping an eye out on the other door.

Then he took a little time to quickly search the room as well, checking in the fire place.

Starting at the the south-west room you carefully check each room.

In the first room after the entrance atrium there were many jars and amphorae probably dating from the shrine's original use. In the second where boxes, sacks and baskets. There seems to be enough food here to last a season at least and the type of food is widely varied. Unlike the ancient shrine the supplies all seem recent.

The last room, the mutant's camp, just had a filthy paillasse and the fireplace. Thankfully there wasn't any kitten bones in the fireplace, it doesn't look like it's been used for a few days.

The mutants had a foul padded tunic, a rope belt and a hefty oaken cudgel. The mutant also had a broad-bladed spear with a cornel-wood haft and it also had a bull's-hide targe. Hanging from its belt was a cheap sacking pouch in which you find an object wrapped up in some faded red velvet, it is a crystal. It is yellow in colour and shaped like a tear drop as big as your thumb.

Harnst took the gathered loot and left it in the room with the foodstuff. He kept the crystal and the spear and then headed back to check out the other side of the building.

(Front right side room)

Opening the door you see another room as you expected but here the carvings are lines of words in some strange language. There is another door in the north wall, but it's what is in the corners of the room that draws your eye.

There are four stone statues of winged creatures, each has a horrible, bestial, leering face and is holding a javelin in each hand. Nothing moves.

Harnst stopped at the doorway his eyes drawn to the 'stone statues' he looked at each in turn then muttered "Nope, nope,nope" and stepped back and closed the door shaking his head.

With a sigh he picked up the flickering lamp and returned to the room where the undead creature had been.  He sighed softly and tried to quiwtly open the door.

OOC:  The supplies where enough food for jow many people for a season?

Inside is another, square room. It seems the architects making this place were as stunningly unimaginative as you suspect. There are no other doors here but the room is gorgeous. Beautifully engraves frescoes cover the walls and depict Green Age earth deities. You realise that you are probably in a holy place of some sort, no one wastes this wondrous art on a closet or some-such.

There is a perfectly square block of warm brown stone in the centre of the room. Unfortunately someone or something has worked hard to desecrate it. Filth and blood are smeared all over it and disgusting runes were then scratched into the covering layers. Whatever religious power this room had is gone.

The room seems to have been used for little else. However there are, wait for it, two shadow kittens playing in a broken wooden box up against one wall. Seeing you they gambol over and start playing around your feet. They look identical.

Harnst looks between the two kittens and shakes his head in disbelief.  "Yinkin spare me" he utters then stoops down and catches up the two kittens and gives them a thorough examination before popping the pair in the pouch.

He then gives the room a thorough going over before heading south to the penultimate room.

They behave like normal shadow cat kittens (ie: fluffy but suddenly bitey). You hold the squirmy little cats up to the light but they are indeed identical.

Opening the door carefully you stand in amazement. Unbeknownst to you, you have entered the holy of holies of the shrine. Deep, intricate carvings cover the walls, floor and ceiling, all thrown into sharp relief by the flickering lamp. Statues are placed in niches in the walls, some familiar to you and some unknown. You suddenly feel uneasy.

The centre of the room features a perfectly square section of dirt, neither muddy nor dry. Your eyes are drawn to this square and you get a strange feeling come over you. You feel in the presence of something powerful and inhuman.

An overwhelming urge strikes you to simply take of your footwear and stand in the dirt, to feel it with your feet. This sensation is not pleasant.

The urge starts to become a compulsion. If you linger it will be unavoidable.

Harnst tore his gaze away from the room and threw himself away from the entrance and closed the door behind him.  He was breathing heavily from the effort and staggered away from the door.

Leaning against the wall to recover he took a minute or two before the realisation that he would have to transition through the room with the gargoyle statues if he wished to finish searching the building.

Cautiously he returned to the doorway of the gargoyle room with the lamp, placing the flickering light down he steeled himself for what was about to come.  With a sigh he entered the room.

The room is exactly as wit was before as far as you can tell. The flickering candle makes the statues appear to shift back and forth.

Having crossed the threshold and nothing having attacked him Harnst let out his breath which he didn't realise he had been holding.  Slowly he crossed the room trying to keep as quite as possible as he moves to the final door.

You open the door. The writing on the walls here is now interspersed with images of the gods they refer to. You can sort of understand them as earth gods you know of but they are depicted and dressed oddly, as if by a radically different peoples. They remind you a bit of some of the older sculptures in The Rubble.

This was a library. In between the sculptures are stone shelves set up to receive scrolls, there must have be room for over a hundred and you suspect that this repository was one of the main reasons for this shrine. None of the shelves now have any scrolls in them, perhaps they were taken when and if this place was abandoned.

There is only one piece of furniture. It is a massively reinforced brass cabinet about a metre high. It is engraved and chased with scenes of dragons flying over a huge city. There appears to be no lock though.

(Please roll Search at +20%, you still need to roll under the unmodified score to get an experience roll)

Looking at the inlay in the cabinet doors, you are struck by what seems to be reverse image of a sleeping dragon.

Harnst walked around the cabinet paying attention to the engravings and wondering what it may contain.  Noticing the sleeping dragon indentation he paused and took a closer look.  They he reached out a hand and tested the doors to see if they would open.

They seem sealed firmly, they don't even rattle. The whole thing might weigh thirty encumbrance. The impressive scenes crafted into the shining surface seem to show dragons and earth spirits interacting in a curious ritual fashion.

Harnst scratches at his chin as he looks at the cabinet "Now how do I open you?" he mutters as he takes a step back.  After a few moments he pushes at the image of the sleeping dragon to see if there is any give.

Pushing, turning, swearing and prodding achieves nothing. You even try praying to it and the bastard doors won't budge.

Frustrated Harnst drags the cabinet to the front room, he returns to each of the rooms and gathers the things of value and leaves them next to the cabinet.  Then he decides to give the complex one last look over just in case paying special attention to the room with the Jars.

Checking through the two rooms shows you that the various wine, water, ale, salt meat and fish, preserved vegetables and eggs and so on are all clean and sealed. Obviously the thing you killed has stolen these supplies but you can't think of where in this region it would have got them.

Something draws your eye on the wall. The flickering lamp shows an odd misalignment in one of the squares in the wall. You prise it out with your fingers and find behind it is a small cavity not much bigger than your fist. Sitting in this cavity is a small medallion shaped like a sleep dragon. You admire the exquisite workmanship of this obviously ancient pendant.

(Human Lore roll please.)

You pocket the medallion and consider your choices of what you can do. There is a door unopened in the far room and another in the entry-room.

Harnst took the medallion and pressed it against the sleeping dragon engraving on the cabinet.  He held his breath in anticipation of the treasure that could be within.... if it opens.

The doors slide open smoothly, witness to the cabinet's fine construction.

Inside are three rolled sheets of what you guess is paper, blank. They are of a very soft butter-paper of a quality you didn't know existed and you've only remotely heard of 'paper' at all as papyrus or vellum is far more common. They are probably extremely valuable as you suspect that paper like this is no longer made.

(Please roll Evaluate)
The cabinet has 30AP and can be fixed to the floor although it isn't at the moment. It would make for a very safe place to store things if you took it. You'd have to bring your horse up to the shrine to do so as it's probably too heavy to carry over the rough ground.

Finally satisfied he had gathered what he could Harnst returned to where he had left his horse, gathering his saddle he led the beast to the shrine.  Then he loaded it up with the cabinet, and as much other loot as possible he headed off on his way leading the horse.

He knew it would slow his journey but it seemed worth the risk, he may need to push later into the night than he would normally when travelling but you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs.

Having lost a bit of time but having gained a fair bit of loot you estimate that you'll have to spend another night on the road. Sartar is beginning to pall with its cold weather and you start to feel a bit homesick for Pavis. Anyway, another night camping won't be so bad now that you have two guard kittens, that is if they didn't immediately fall asleep whenever you do and stay asleep for sixteen hours.

The next morning you rise and are pleased to see that everything is at it should be. After a light breakfast, a bit of maintenance and some obligatory kitten-playing you turn to your heavily-laden horse and head off further into the mountains. You should crest the saddle of the pass with its fir and pine trees today and be down the other side in plenty of time for the ceremony. While exciting at first the trip is going to plan.

Until, that is, a huge wyrm circles overhead. The wyrm is easily ten metres long and has long, thin wings that catch the morning sunlight amid the gilded mountains. It seems to have taken an interest in you.
Arching its wings it stalls in mid-air and then settles down nearby on the light snow. You see now that a crested dragonewt is hanging onto its back for dear life. Your horse takes a marked dislike to this new set of arrivals and starts to play up.

(Animal Lore roll please)

Startled, you grab your horse's bridle before it can run off. The huge creature turns its kaleidoscope eyes on you and utters some hissing, booming words. The crested dragonewt hops off its back and takes a second to recover from its ordeal. It is unarmed. It rises and scampers over to you to the further consternation of your horse.

Once it reaches you it produces a flask and a cup from a sack. The wyrm once again booms words and it nods, pouring a measure of bright blue fluid into the cup and handing the cup to you. It then makes drinking motions.

Harnst looked dubiously at the wyrm then the dragnewt his free hand going to the medallion of the sleeping dragon he wore under his armour.  Initially he was fearful but then he was resigned to the situation, hopefully they didn't want much he thought.

As the dragnewt offered him the cup he took it with h8s left hand then said "What is it?" before drinking it down.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:04, Sun 02 Oct 2022.

Suddenly you find yourself able to understand what the wyrm and the dragonewt are saying to each other.

" . . . O Mighty Wyrm, this one has given the drink to the human-thing." Says the dragonewt.

"It is good, tiny thing. I am pleased." Answers the wyrm.

The dragonewt sees the look of surprise appear on your face and nods to the wyrm. The wyrm imperiously says "insignificant human-thing, I have a task for you. Something has been stolen from me and you will retrieve it. You will take this worthless being; 'Bearer of Flames', and he will guide you to a hole in the ground wherein lies an object of mine taken from me by stealth. Bearer of Flames will be given the ability make your spear burst into flames once and once only. You will tell him if you have need of this ability. Go now, follow the small creature to this hole which is no more than a mile away. Your goods and horse-thing will be safe with me as I have eaten already and covet not your worthless trash."

Not really have much choice and suicide-by-wyrm being unappealing, you follow the small dragonewt along a game trail. Once the wyrm is out of sight the little dragonewt seems to relax somewhat.

"I apologise human," says Bearer of Flames. "But O Mighty Wyrm was guarding the Coral Klanth of Aeschyanart when he decided to have a nap. During that time a couple of trollkin walked away with it. They have gone into a cave that O Mighty Wyrm can't fit in and they would probably kill me in a fight, thus you."

Crouching, he points to a cave mouth up ahead. "They went in there. O Mighty Wyrm is very keen to have the Coral Klanth of Aeschyanart back before it is missed. If you would lead, I shall follow."

Harnst stopped and looked suddenly at the little dragonewt "Trollkin had the balls to go steal from a wyrm!" he shook his head in disbelief.  "I don't suppose you have a light do you? he asked looking back at the cave.

Bearer of Flames, true to his name, readies a torch from his sack and holds it to his mouth. He breathes a little wisp of fire onto it and it catches alight, filling the air with a strong smell of burning pine resin.

"I will come with you and provide light but I prefer not to fight. I do have spell that will make you harder to be hit though." That said, he has a little bone short sword he tucks into his belt. He gets out an ovoid buckler that looks to be a turtle shell and has a sling wrapped around his wrist. The sack he carries has a shoulder strap.

He looks at the ground in front of the cave and points to it.

"Do those marks mean anything to you?"

Track Roll please


This message was last edited by the GM at 00:51, Mon 03 Oct 2022.

Harnst dropped down to one knee to examine the tracks, hopefully it was only a few Trollkin, but he feared there would be something larger behind the theft.

"Do you hunt Bearer of Flames?

The small dragon-man turns and looks at you, managing to to put a look of surprise on his lizard features.

"Why yes, that is one of my many functions, but I really don't think we have time to go hunting now. O Mighty Wyrm is rather strict when it comes to timetables."

"Aah in this case we aren't hunting for food but those who have stolen from your master.  It is good to know though it seems s9mething we both have in common." Harnst says to the little dragonewt with a smile.

"The drink you gave me, it is why I can understand you correct? Will it last long?"

"The drink?" Says Bearer of Flames, cocking his head on one side "why yes, it should be permanent in many ways. The poison in it might kill you, making it 'permanent' in an immediate sense. If the poison in it doesn't kill you there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to speak my language until you die of some other reason. What do you make of the tracks?"

(OOC: The tracks are three medium-sized humanoids wearing boots, probably due to the snow)

Harnst freezes in place he blinks once, twice and his eyebrows furrow "Poison, what do you mean poison and you better have a damp good reason why I shouldn't slay you here and now." he said angrily.

The small lizard-man raises his eye ridges and says "odd, I would have thought you'd not want to kill me, the person who told you about the poison, but rather you would want to kill the one that provided the poison, that being O Mighty Wyrm."

He looks you up and down before adding "I would not recommend that. If I die, yes it will be painful but then I will be reborn and no longer a slave. if you die fighting O Mighty Wyrm then it will be awfully painful and as far as I know you humans don't actually get reborn. I don't know what you do." He shrugs his little shoulders.

"As to the poison, far be it for me to guess at O Mighty Wyrm's motivations. I simply do as he tells me. If I was to guess I would assume he wants some sort of extra motivation for you, but then again possibly not. Who knows what's in the heart of a wyrm?"

"But that aside, from what I gather you have some time to accomplish the task at hand and O Mighty Wyrm will furnish an antidote, cure or other alleviation to the poisoning."

Harnst let out a loud sigh, "No I suppose you are right, it's not really your fault the big snake is pretty intimidating. Still it's a dirty trick to pull and it doesn't  mean I will be willing to do any more than the minimum." he snorts loudly before continuing "He will keep his word won't he?"

Looking over his shoulder, Bearer of Flames regards the huge wyrm speculatively.

"When possible, I try to be as accurate as possible but in this case I have no idea. I do know however that O Mighty Wyrm does indeed have many potions and so forth and it would seem logical if he had a poison that gave a gift of languages he would also have an antidote so he could interrogate his errand-doers. My suggestion, if you don't mind me giving it, is that we go into the hole and recover the Coral Klanth of Aeschyanart in an effort to put O Mighty Wyrm in the best of possible moods."

He looks over at the hole and gestures towards it. "Any second now O Mighty Wyrm will enquire why we have not accomplished his task. I would prefer not to be adjacent or otherwise close to any person displeasing O Mighty Wyrm, if you plan to disappoint him would you be so kind as to forewarn me so I can move some distance away."

Harnsy snorted as he looked back at the wyrm "Right well the sooner we get this Klanth back the sooner we get the antidote.  Oranth protect me but bloody dragons." then he turned and moved to the entrance to the cave he stopped to allow his eyes to adjust to the light before slowly and quietly moving in.

Just inside he paused, he tightened the grip on his spear and fidgeted with his shield on his left arm and waited for the little dragonling to follow.

Entering into the cave you soon lose the daylight behind you, the only light is the torch that Bearer of Flames holds aloft. The cave is filthy and obviously has had recent inhabitants. Scraps of garbage are scattered about and you get the feeling that what ever lives in here doesn't go outside to go to the latrine.
It gets damper. The walls of the cave are slicked with wet and greenish slime.
You are pleased that Bearer of Flame is almost entirely silent on his feet and says nothing.

After a few minutes of descending the cave splits.
To the left is a drier, wider cave while to the right is a narrower, wetter cave with softly glowing walls streaked with some sort of bio-luminescent growth.

Harnst looked at the slime with distaste then stopped to listen to see if he could hear anything from either direction.  "Nothing" he whispered.

Then he indicated the dryer path with his spear and began to creep up in that direction.

The cave starts to become oddly shaped in cross section, like an ellipse tilted 45º. The stalactites hinder your movement and Bearer of Flames and yourself start to have to clamber from ledge to ledge of a series of curved pools that go up to an opening above you.

(climb roll please)

Harnst attempted to climb with his shield still strapped to his arm but finding it too difficult he stopped and slung it across his back before attempting again with more success.

There is a long curve off to the left and you hear a roar of water. As your torch flickers in a cool, damp breeze blowing into your faces you see that the narrow passage abruptly swells into a cavern.

On the far side of the cavern is what you assume to be an underground river. A stone arch crosses it and connects to another passage beyond.

Two crouching trollkin spin around at the arrival of your torch light. They growl and ready weapons, looking down at their belts as they drag out small maces and shields.

(The Trollkin are 'surprised'. If you attack with a weapon right away you will get +20% to your attack.)

More out of reflex than anything else Harnst jabs out with his spear at the closest of the Trollkin striking for the center of mass. "Asrelia take you" he grunts out

The roar of the water almost drowns their cries of anger. Driving off your left foot you punch your spear through the squealing troll's right bicep, it's shield not getting between you and him in time. Screeching it drops holding the mangled limb.

The other one casts a spell and looks puzzled when nothing happens. It tries again with the same effect.

Harnst stabbed out at the remaining trollkin but his footing was not as firm as he had thought and he slipped ever so slightly throwing his aim off balance.  "Dogs balls!"

Form behind you at the source of the torchlight you hear the sardonic comment "would you like me to hold him still for you?"

"I don't need to give you back in one poece you know" Harnst replied to the snarky dragonewt as he lunged again at the trollkin

OOC: Attack & Parry

15:07, Today: Harnst Trueshot rolled 17 using 1d100.  1h Spear 76%.
15:08, Today: Harnst Trueshot rolled 5 using 1d8+1+1d4.  Spear Damage.
15:08, Today: Harnst Trueshot rolled 9 using 1d20.  Hit Location.

The squealing trollkin's cries echo above the water roaring through the cave. It slides its shield between the spearpoint and its navel but the effort makes its mace swing go wide.

Annoyingly, from behind you you hear more commentary.

"Nasty little thing, isn't it? Perhaps you should put more shoulder into your strikes?"

With a wordless grunt Harnst put more shoulder into his next strike.  This time striking past the little creatures buckler.

The spear slams into its arm and it's eyes widen. It drops to the ground beside its writhing comrade but unlike the other you can hear it chanting a spell through its gritted tusks.

You look up to see another trollkin watching you from the bridge. Its eyes glint and it shudders. Suddenly it convulses and drops to all fours, then its body begins to transform . . .

His eyes widen and he shoots the little Dragonewt a look. "Stop this one from getting up but keep it alive 8f you can." the draws his arm back and throws his spear at the one transforming.  He drops his shield and transfers the new spear he got from the lost temple and prepares to engage the new threat.

The trollkin's shuddering form elongates. Its tusks lengthen and curve while its snout becomes longer. Its squeals become louder, throatier and the hair on its head changes into a long razorback along its spine. A half-troll/half-pig rears up on the bridge.

Your spear whistles across the bridge in a flat arc, hits the pig-thing squarely and simply bounces off. In shock you glance back at Bearer of Flames who is advancing with a strange dragonewt short sword in his hand who stops when he sees that, looks back at the cave mouth and then says to himself "I'd never make it".

Looking at the charging creature Harnsts eyes widen in surprise, then with a determined look he calls out "Now Bearer of Flames use your spell to make my spear alight with fire." then with a determined look he sets the spear. "Odalya guide me."

Bearer of Flames' eyes flash and the spear point bursts into flames

(OOC: You know have Fireblade cast on your spear)

As the creature came barrelling in Harnst struck with his spear hitting it in the hindquarters.

The were-pig's back end collapses and it screams in pain but its heavy bulk crashes into you, the stinking bristled body slamming you back . . .

(Please resist SIZ 19)

The pig's body hits you and knocks you back, sending you into Bearer of Flames who gives a chirp of alarm as you crash into him and throws you both flying. Luckily there's nothing else to hit. As you roll over you see Bearer of Flames picking itself up, it looks at you and rolls its draconic eyes.
Quickly rolling onto your feet you see the pig-thing shuddering its last on the slick stone of the natural bridge.

"What by Kiger Litors left tits was that thing." Harnst exclaimed rising to his feet and regathereing his spear.  He took a moment to check on the two trollkin as he proffered not to kill them.  "Bearer of Flames, can you speak their tongue?  If you can tell them to surrender and the will be allowed to live.

Bearer of Flames hisses and prods one of the trollkin with his short sword as it tries to heal itself, its face screwed up with pain, and Bearer of Flames says in Auld Wyrmish "stop that you beastly thing". The dragonewt pauses, noting the complete lack of comprehension on the trollkin's face. "Well, more accurately, it can't understand me which is more to the point."

Bearer of Flames looks at you and cocks its head on one side "do you eat these things?"

With a sigh Harnst replied"No we don't eat them, but they may have value" then shook his head at the strange little dragon man.  Switching to trade tongue he asked the trollkin"Speak trade?"

They clutch their wounds and don't answer but you think probably not

Harnst gathered the trollkins equipment an placed it to one side ensuring the weapons were out of reach. Moving over to the one that had tried to heal itself he attempted to bandage the creatures wound then he moved to the second and did the same.  Rummaging around in his pack he drew out some snares and used them to tie the hands and feet of the little creatures.  Unable to communicate he kept talking anyway using a low soothing tone as he did.

The wriggling trollkin simply refuse to sit still and you spend a frustrating five minutes trying to both bind their wounds and their limbs. You're near ready to pull your hair out when there is a soft cough from Bearer of Flames as he holds the torch near to give you light. He looks off into the distance and says "I'm sure this is quite amusing, whatever it is that you're doing, but at some point we really should be looking for the Coral Klanth of Aeschyanart. After that if you wish we could return and you could continue this umm . . . behaviour."

"Aren't these your thieves?  Don't they have this Klanth thing? he asked frustration clearly audible in his voice.  He took thier weapons and placed them in his pack.

Then with a snort he headed over 5owards where the pig thing had come from.

Bearer of Flames holds up the guttering torch as you both look around but this chamber seems to be mainly empty. Even though it's big and fairly even floored the constant moisture seems to have dissuaded the trollkin from camping here. After a few minutes you carefully cross the bridge to the exit and go down a short tunnel, weapons at the ready. Here you find a small cave which was where the trollkin had their base. Sitting in pride of place is the Coral Klanth of Aeschyanart that Bearer of Flames remarked on earlier. His eyes light up when he sees it.

"There it is! O Mighty Wyrm will be happy to get it back, that is if you decide to give it back to him . . . "

The tiny dragonewt looks at you speculatively, his lizard eyes inscrutable.

"What do you think, are you going to give it to him? It's not magical as such but it's worth an enormous amount. I'm just not exactly sure how a human would go about dealing O Mighty Wyrm and then actually selling it."

"I'm no thief, your Master may have poisoned me with his elixir but I won't betray him." Harnst said to the little dragonnewt then he carefully took a sack out of his pack and wrapped the Klanth in it being careful not to touch the blade itself.

"Now we should see to our captives and return your masters Klanth to him so I can get the antidate to his poison... there is an antidote right?"

Leaving the den you see the trollkin have absconded, probably having healed themselves. Following the only route back you come to the junction of the dry cave you have just left, the wet cave you have not explored and the surface. The sun sends beams of light that flicker on the walls and Bearer of Flames looks about trying to see if the trollkin are around.

"If they have half a brain between them then the will still be running." Harnst said looking for the trollkin himself.  He stopped and waited for a moment

Before we go out there is there some ceremo y I should perform to make sure the wyrm keeps his end of the deal?

"It's never occurred to me that there is some way of making O Mighty Wyrm do something, I highly suspect there isn't one".

The dragonewt looks around the cave again and starts ostentatiously humming.

Harnst stroked his beard in thought, he looked towards the outside then back down the other tunnel.  "Well Bearer of Flame we have completed your masters task, let us return to him this Klanth he so desires then I can return to the task I have been set." with that he heads out of the cave.

Climbing out of the noisome cave you come back into the surface. Although it seems days that you were below ground the sun seems to only have a moved a small distance across the sky, it was probably only a few hours. Eventful hours though.

On the hillside next to the cave the huge wyrm is settled down near your rather unhappy horse. It's kaleidoscope eyes fix on you and once again you feel that strange feeling that your soul is falling out of your body and into the void. The big dragonkin shifts its gaze over to Bearer of Flames and sees that the tiny dragonewt is holding aloft the Coral Klanth of Aeschyanart in triumph.

O Great Wyrm says to you "Well done tiny thing, you have retrieved the Coral Klanth of Aeschyanart and have earned my gratitude. You may keep the slave, it might be useful."

Rather crestfallen both figuratively and literally, Bearer of Flames hands over the klanth. O Great Wyrm wraps its tail around it and then vaults into the air, its wondrous leathery pinions thunder as it flies up into the heavens. In a few minutes it is gone from view.

You can hear Bearer of Flames mutter behind you "Oh, 'gratitude'. I've heard about that somewhere."

It would appear that talking and an antidote are beyond the wyrms gratitude." Harnst said as he looked at the wyrm as it flew away...

I don't suppose you have your own mount do you?

The crested dragonewt also watches the wyrm fly away "well, O Mighty Wyrm seemed well-disposed towards you, I guess it's unlikely he'd poison you" but after a bit of silence added bitterly "then again, there's a case to be made that his gratitude is somewhat poisonous in itself."

The little dragonewt turns to you "ride, no. I usually am carried atop O Mighty Wyrm which I really must admit is highly unpleasant. Long ripples run along his body in flight and one tends to suddenly shift several body lengths up and down with a concurrent sense of vertigo, stomach upset and disorientation." He snuffs the still-lit torch out. "Do you wish to still examine the unexplored reaches of the cavern in exercise of your avarice, blood-lust and curiosity? There may well be things in there to kill, loot and examine."

He ponders the sudden shifts of his fortunes for a few more moments and it seems he realises he'd best properly introduce himself now you are both inextricably linked "as to me, I am as you know Bearer of Flames. My usual functions are the procuration of game animals although I myself only eat vegetable matter, I have a strong preference for tree nuts and lettuces although I suppose my preferences are of little account. In addition to this hunting function I also scout, I like to think of myself as particularly skilled in this area."