Giving Gnolls the finger...

After a restful night back above ground, I rise like usual to perform my exercises.

After a bit, Val rises to perform his on morning rituals. Shortly after that, both of the Ladies are up and about.

But what is this, Connie has quite an interesting new blade. After wakening from her day long trance, it seems that she was communing with her Deity, and was gifted with a special blade. It is named Iomedae's Finger. How trite. Who new that the God's had such a droll sense of humor. giving the finger to your enemies, indeed. I wonder if they will "get" the point or not?

Anyway, we eat, then head back down to take up where we left off. In a particularly dark room, we stumble, literally stumble, across some sleeping Unchosen. Not one, or even two, but a full handful. That's right, five of the horrid twisted creatures. I decide to try to even the odds before they could rise in all their numbers.

Normally, I would not act so, for there is little Honor in slaying sleeping beings. But these corrupted and evil aberrations are entirely to dangerous to extend such niceties. No, this is survival, not honorable warfare.

So I strike and slay one while it slept. Then a second. And then a third. Alas the third wasn't killed outright. My strike did terrible damage to it, but it wasn't fatal.

So another two strikes are required to kill it off, but its screams of rage and pain awaken the remaining two. Then a general melee is entered into, where the others are dispatched, with just one hit, though a fearsome one being taken by one of us. Val is struck by one, but after the battle, Connie heals his damaged body with her gift of curative magic.

Next, we come across a room that appears it may be the place where the Unchosen may just have been created, for there is no way those things are natural. This suspicion is further backed up by numerous books and scrolls that picture various anatomical drawings, and it is assumed text. But the language is not able to be read at this time, so that will wait for a later time. So for now, I stuff a this material into my back pack, as my fairest wishes to study them at some future time and place.

Several potions were discovered here also, and my love's spell of magical detection confirmed they were magical in nature.

So we take a temporary pause to catch our breath, and to have a quick meal to provide us with sustenance to continue are exploration in this place.

Oh, I almost forgot. I had a strange flashback. But the memory wasn't mine, but that of the entity that I inherited when the mold joined with me. I saw an orange haired male that I called Zayfid in my vision. I know not why I saw him, or what it portends. but there had to be a reason.

I suppose that this also will come to light. I just pray to the Gods that this knowledge, when it finally is able to be understood, doesn't cause us harm.

I'm also guessing that this House of the Beast wss not built by Gnolls. They're barely intelligent enough to put on loin cloths, so a building like this, nope not seeing it. So the name is something I would think was from the actual builders from the past.  

And I now think, since we now know that there is no army marching on our city, that we have been tricked into killing off the Carrion King, or at least thinning out his ranks to let someone else take over. Or maybe its all about this scroll?

I don't know, but I don't really need much of an excuse to eradicate more Gnolls, now do I? I am not as fervent in this as Connie, but I am also far from adverse to the concept. If this is a trick, all they really needed to do was ask...

Moving on, we discover an area that appears to have been excavated fairly recently. Broken handles for what I believe would be for picks and shovels, as well as the occasional broken pick head are seen laying among the rubble. A tattered piece of linen is also discovered in the debris, and a drawing of a scroll case is on it. What they are seeking perhaps?

Shortly after we come across a large room, that holds two Gnolls and two Hyenadon, a viscous form of Dire Hyena. So my beautiful bride casts another Web spell, encasing all four in its sticky folds, which also blocks our view of them, and them us. I take up a position with my bow, waiting to see if any break free. A few moments later, Spring follows here Web with a ball of magical flames. When the blast of the fireball clears, both of the Gnolls lay dead, and both Canines are worse for the wear, although one seems to have fared better than the other. It also appears that Val might have been a bit to close to  flaming explosion as his robes are smoking and he no longer has his eyebrows. Poor fellow, he seems to constantly be an unintended victim of my wife's magical powers. 

Val, Connie and myself then all rush forward to finish the large beasts off. And soon enough, they are indeed lying next to their former handlers in death.

Now we progress and find another room with two things of note. First a throne. I can guess who normally sits upon it. And the other is a large, deep pit. A pit that has a rather disturbing skittering noise coming from it, Peering in, a huge centipede like creature is spied. About 18' long, layered in a bony armor like chitin and a vile stinger at its rear, this is one vermin that I would just prefer not to meet face to face.

But alas, it apparently noticed us, and the walls of the pit are of no concern for it as it quickly makes its way towards us.

I loose an arrow into it as it crests the lip of the pit. It must not of liked that as it then bites savagely into my side. I feel a coldness in the wound. Poison! But my constitution must have been able to shrug it off, as no further effect happens from the wound. Now its time for Tempest to do its work. Now Connie attacks with spell and blade, and Val with bare handed bravado, my Spring with Spell, and I, I strike deeply with Tempest. We also find out that in attacking this thing, it has a reactive spin defense that tries to impale anyone that gets close enough to attack in melee. I am able to dodge them, thankfully, as I am also able to avoid the flames from another fireball that explodes under the monster. Thankfully, my next blow was significant enough to cut the nasty vermin in twain.

Now it would seem to be a good time to catch our breath, let Connie work her curative magics, and regroup a bit. Well, at this time two humanoids enter from another entrance, one a huge Unchosen and another apparently a normal Gnoll. What alerted us to their entrance was a loud voice from one of them that said “What have you done?” I am unsure which of the two asked this question, one which has a rather obvious answer I would say. And the Gnoll quickly darts back through the entryway and out of sight. Oh, how lovely!

o0o

Spring’s thoughts...

It’s been a busy few days. Blaze returned and let me know that Kalmarane is fine; no attacks are befalling it as we traipse about inside this House of the... oh crude, I forget. I’ll ask my husband later. Beast! House of the Beast (no, I didn’t ask, I remembered! At least I think that’s it.)

One minute Connie’s all starry eyed with her gawd and we’re fighting off big bad nasties, and the next she’s alert and cleaving that new weapon like it was part of her already.

I must say I’ve got to learn to toss my web when Val is behind me – how he always gets caught up in them I don’t know. It is funny afterward, but well, during a battle it is downright frightening; I could cost him to be injured – or worse!

I wish I had Connie’s abilities to heal; it makes me so jealous when those I love are hurt and I can’t help them. I wouldn’t trade her abilities for the world though, I couldn’t kneel that much.

My beloved husband; always concerned for my welfare, as I him. He is far more astute in battle than I. I seem to annoy the heck out of him when I choose a spell different than he feels appropriate. Still he supports my efforts. I love him dearly.


This pyramid-like structure is making me nervous. We hear of a rebellion, but we don’t hear or see it in action. We hear of a Carrion King! House of the Carrion King! No, I still think it’s Beast; anyway, this king supposedly has plans for the rest of our city, and yet we’ve heard everything from he doesn’t exist to he’s a cunning masterful warrior. I suppose we will eventually find out...

o0o

Like a fly in a web...

Okay, Connie is in some kind of trance. A beam of sunlight? shines on her upturned face (appearing underground no less). Maybe from her Deity? Beats me. This is way outside of my areas of knowledge or experience.

Anyway, so my beautiful Spring finds that she can lead her by the hand to move her along. So she does.

But we don't move very far at all when I enter a room with several humans. More escaped slaves from the look of them.

But there is someone, something else in the room with them. Some really friggin large guy, not really human, but not sure what he is, demands to know who I am and what I'm doing here.

Well, I'm usually diplomatic, but this just rubbed me the wrong way, so I basically told him that I don't answer to him.

He didn't take that well. Not well at all. As a matter of fact, it was taken so poorly as to cause him to  bellow for the others to kill me.

Val comes into the room,, standing at my back, but I decided to attack the big, uhm, man? and dashed at him. So I go tumbling through the slaves heading towards me, which of course meant leaving Val's side.

But as I stand from my tumble, I strike a very deep, solid blow to the thigh of this creature, and while doing so, I yell out that he should fight his own battles. 

Now I don't know if it was what I said, or the fact that I landed such a well placed strike, or the combination of both, but the slaves , all of them, dropped their weapons and fled as one.

Now this didn't deter the big humanoid in the slightest. And he struck me in turn. He was strong. Way to strong. His blow of what was basically a log hit me hard.

And then a web appeared with the creature in its center. It became adhered in its sticky embrace. I managed to adroitly dodge the expanding strands by pure instinct. But once again, Val was caught like a fly is wont to be. Again, Spring has caught herself a monk. If the situation wasn't so potentially life threatening, I probably would stopped right then and there at the hilarity of Val once more  being ensnared in her silky and ever so sticky conjuring.

As the monk tries, futilely, I might note, to gain release from his unwelcome embrace, I battle with the monstrously sized man, thing, whatever. I missed a strike, while he didn't. I realized that a third blow like the first two could be my bane, so I manage to disengage, still somehow resisting the webs clutches. 

While it remained caught, I started to drink some potions of healing. As my body recovers from some of the damage, my Spring, that so clever of Monk catchers, Oh how I wished I had the luxury to stop and laugh at Val's predicament, but the situation was to serious to indulge, enters the room. And while Val stays well and truly trussed up, our nemesis manages to partially break out of its bonds. 

Spring casts her magical force missiles into it, though it seems to ignore them. I'm sure they hurt, but the creature is so focused on getting to me, it takes no notice of the strikes. 

So, I move a bit, finding an optimal angle of attack. As I moved, I swapped my blade, tempest, for my bow. I fire and my aim was true. The arrow pierced its left eye, the point protruding through the rear of the skull. It will cause no more mischief.

We find a cache of 5 more potions of healing. One of which I quaf. I am almost back to full vigor. Nothing that a good nights sleep won't heal now .

And Spring dissipated her spell, letting our fly, I mean Val, free of his imprisonment. He too needed to drink a potion to heal some hurts that he had picked up earlier.

A couple of slaves are seen by Spring peeking into the room,  who then alerts Val and I to this fact. We are able to convince them that we mean them no harm and they reenter the room. After seeing that the large brute is indeed dead, they explain that they had escaped the Gnolls just to have the, whatever it was,  overly large humanoid enslave them in turn, deciding that he would make a good king.

To thank us for freeing them, we are shown a hidden stash of valuable ceramic censers. Declining our offer of food, water or even the dagger that my beloved offered them, they depart. I do advise them first to head to our town, as we still have open housing and need people willing to help us rebuild. One of them carried himself well and looked like a likely prospect to join the guard, and I suggested he tell them I sent him to be examined  as a possible new hire if he goes there. I couldn't help but notice the lift in his bearing at this. I think I might see him there, well, if I myself make it back.

We were also informed, when I explained we were here to put a stop to the raising of am army of Gnolls by the Carrion King, that if this was indeed planned, that it would likely be years before this could be accomplished.

Were we being played for fools? And if so, why? In the hopes we could eliminate the Carrion King? To distract him? Or to weaken our city by removing its main defenders?

At this point we just don't have any answers. Just more questions.

We leave the underground for now, returning to the surface. Spring is sending Blaze to scout our home and then return to her with what he sees, and all of us will rest for a time above ground, before deciding what to do.

Well we will soon decide if we return home, or go ahead and attempt to clean out this vile nest before an army can be gathered. This is still a great source of danger to all travelers and traders going through the area. Our town needs the way to be open. Letting the status quo remain, is not really a viable option.

Somehow, I don't see the Carrion King being amiable to leaving the caravans to pass in peace...

That night, after a careful cleansing, I hold my wife in my arms as we lay in our blankets. And as I gaze into her beautiful guileless eyes, I can't help but see Val struggling helplessly in her magical webs firm embrace, And how at the end he was calling out for Spring to please dissolve her spell. I don't mean to, but I start grinning, then chuckling, which turn into chortles, and then to uncontrollable laughing. As her questioning gaze penetrates my mirth, I gasp out "Elf... fly... web..." Soon we are both trying to just simply breath as the laughter robs us of air, and we're blinded by the tears. A memory that, for as long as we live, we will be able to use to lighten the darkest of days. Unfortunately, I suspect we will be needing this memory way to often in the times to come.

And on another positive note, she did remember to cast her magical protective armoring on  herself this time before entering the room where the combat was taking place.

o0o