Known World

Deeper In

(26-Jul-05)

"Bjorn" : Bjorn Idle (Darryl Sherwood), Human Paladin of Methuselah
"Butt" : Butt Ugly (Shane Barr), Human Fighter
"Rusty" : Rusty Bones (Steven Krijnen), Alcatraz Gnome Optics Abomination
"Sir Reynold" : Sir Reynold Lightbringer (Ian Luxton), Human Paladin of REAL
"Pox" : Pox Sore (Andrew Earl), Half-elf Tea Leaf

The next morning, the group set out off into the Wild to follow the path that left the area of blight, figuring that this was the correct way to go.

REAL's pure light was shaded from the ground by a strange magical haze. Consequently, about mid morning, they encountered a group of five orcs. Normally, REAL's light would burn the orcs severely, but the haze seemed to afford them some protection. SPF 44.

It was a short sharp battle - the orcs were carrying black-bladed swords. Any damage from these foul weapons was extra hard to heal.

The black blades mad some enchantment upon them, and they were very strong, so Pox tried an experiment: In an old dried riverbed, he placed a sword bridging two stones, climbed onto the bank, and dropped a large rock to land on the blade. Sure enough, the brittle well-tempered blade broke clean in half, with a large bang too. This well and truly destroyed the enchantment. It no longer glowed black, and a few orcish runes were all that was left.

The other orc blades met the same fate. All exploded with a mild POP. Except for one, that is. It exploded with a huge BANG and left a crater in the river bed a few metres deep. Pox was narrowly missed by the flying debris.

Later on that day, still following the old river, the bed formed into a canyon, going deeper and deeper

Another party of orcs was spotted up ahead so they were followed.

. Off to one side on the bank was a cave entrance. The orcs vanished into it.

Peering in, Pox noted four zombies standing rigidly at attention . The party attacked and soon dispactehed these wretches.

But the cave further on in was shrouded in inky magical darkness.

Brave Sir Reynold, followed by the rest, bravely inched into this blackness and soon emerged out the other side...

Only be to be attacked by a ghoul. Luckily, the stinking creature could not penetreate his armour, so he did not have to suffer the crippling effects of ghoul paralysis.

Deeper on in were some nasty traps, and two hell hounds. One was dispatched by the party after all being wounded greviously. And that was all. No sign of the orcs

Butt had a brainwave, his substandard brain obviously working overtime, and suggested the party feel along the walls inside the magical inky blackness. Sure enough, a concealed door was found on both sides of the passage. Rusty was sent in and extablished that both doors had magical traps on.

So then Rusty was volunteered to wait, invisible, in the darkness, in an attempt to overhear the orc parties whenever they returned from reconnaissance or foraging.

The night dragged on while the party, minus Rusty, waited fitfully in the room with the dead hellhound. Eventually Rusty arrived.

"They sing Tum Balalaika," he muttered. "And by the way, here comes a Corporeal Mist."

After a short battle it was destroyed.

The party spent the rest of the night hiding up in Reynold's Rope Trick in safety. However, this didn't last all night, so they left it. Only to find two Mists in the room.