Tuesday 11th November Asi van Dit - Male Halfling Thief 2 - Adrian McKinnon Finn Finnegan - Male Halfling Thug 2 - NPC Flung Chow Wong - Male Human Monk 2 (FW TF) - Ian Luxton Gavin Scone - Male Human Fighter 1 - Darryl Sherwood Herb Skunkhead - Male Human Pyromaniac 1 (Hob TF) - Matthew Carr Mel Licious - Dwarf Psionicist 1 - Steven Krijnen Polly Ester - Female Human Bard 4 - Andrew Earl DM - Jeff Clendon
However, the mansion was a little more trouble ...
We strolled up the expansive driveway of the mansion, and knocked on the huge teak doors. A butler-type gentleman answered and we told him that we now owned this place (showed him the deed) and that we were looking for William Hurst and could we please search the place.
We showed him our fine-toothed combs too.
He took one contemptuous look at us lot and turned up his nose.
"I'll let you and you come in," he said pointing at me and Flung. "You two are the least untidy and dirty. The rest of you may search the grounds. But don't break anything!"
Flung and I entered and began the search.
The butler followed us around like a little shadow, obviously not trusting us not to steal anything, as we searched the upper floors and the ground floor. Noone else was about.
The butler said he had not seen Hurst for a few weeks, and that there was just minimal staff on duty.
Down to the cellar we went. On the way down the stairs, the butler pulled a rope cord. He claimed that this unlocked the cellar doors. With the benefit of hindsight, we should have suspected something, but we naively didn't. Nor had we noticed that we had split the party, quite nicely too.
With the foreshadowing complete, as we entered one of the lower rooms, the butler suddenly vanished, and Flung and I were suddenly attacked by two gentlemen in studded leather armour.
While in melee, I had no chance to cast a "Look at my tits, boys", so had to engage the ruffian with my longsword.
The fight was over pretty fast. Flung's martial prowess and lightning hand-jabs were enough to bruise his opponent, however, the fellow got several shortsword cuts past Flung's guard, and then managed a hard thrust into Flung's belly. Flung sank silently to the ground as blood spurted and flowed.
I managed to drop my guy, but then the butler joined in the fray, and another leather-garbed gentleman emerged from the shadows to fight too.
I wanted to break melee contact — a few seconds was all I needed to cast Colour Spray — so I attempted a parrying retreat. All the while screaming and yelling with the vain hope that the rest of our group might hear me.
Of course, they were all searching the spacious grounds of the estate, so there wasn't a hope in Imag's dark butt that they'd hear me.
I managed to back up the stairs a little, receiving a few cuts for my troubles, when another ruffian joined in the fight, from above, cutting off my retreat.
So, with a quick and desparate vault over the railing, I attempted to land on the cellar floor, a mere three metres below. The plan was that I could cast Colour Spray from below. However, Providence decided otherwise and I caught my ankle on the bannister, and fell, arms flailing.
The last thing I remember was the sickening crunch as I hit the stone floor.
Apparently the party had got bored of searching and had broken in to the mansion after all.
After a long search, and some perceptive glances, they found a secret door in the cellar leading to a long tunnel. Down the end of this tunnel they found Flung and me in a room hewn from the living rock. We were both unconscious and well-zonked.
A chest of treasure was found too and it contained twelve potions. Gavin bravely tasted one and it floored him — apparently a very powerful poison.
To cut off a long story square, there was then the logistical nightmare of having to ferry it, and three bodies (me, Flung and Gavin) to the Temple of FW, but not wanting to abandon the loot, nor the bodies, and not wanting to split the party to leave some guards behind.
Mel had cured me psionically, and had used up all his juice doing so. It meant I could hobble like a weaken cripple, but could not help carry anything - still being zonked.
The only big lifter was Skunkhead, but even he could only manage one of the bodies (Flung or Gavin) at a time. It was finally decided that Asi, Finn and Mel would stay behind and guard the treasure and Gavin, while Skunkhead (carrying Flung) and me would return to the FW Temple. Then while we had Death's Door (the spell to unzonk) cast on us, Skunk would return to get Gavin.
Luckily, no thieves did return, so we got all the treasure back safely to the FW Temple and we returned to try and find Hurst.
Sure, the tunnel did continue and emerged deep in the Emerald forest. But those thieves, and Hurst/Morten we suspect, had long gone.
If you are reduced to 0 hp, you are Unconscious. If you are reduced to minus 4 hp or below you then bleed at 1 hp/round until dead (at < negative CON hp) or bandaged/cured. Even if bandaged, unless you are cured within 2 rounds (20 seconds) of the damage, you become "zonked". Once zonked your hp can never be raised above 1, and you are sick and weak and can barely walk. To get cured from zonked requires 1 day of Intensive Care bed-rest for each 3 points of zonking. The 2nd level priest spell Death's Door also fixes zonking, provided it is cast within two hours of the damage.