The Heroes transverse deeper into the catacombs of White Plume Mountain
Previous sessions: http://smonskarameikos.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/session-notes.html
Keep of the White Dame: Around Sunrise
Cael stood on the battlements, feeling the cool breeze across his face. Seeing the sun rise every morning was still a queer, but stunning moment for him. Having lived the majority of his life under the earth, the feeling of wind, rain, snow and natural wonders of light and darkness, were still foreign to him in some ways.
He ran a gloved hand across his chin, feeling his stubble. The hasty return from White Plume had left the party little time to rest and refresh. Rosanna had been gravely injured and had to be rushed to the healers immediately on arrival. Although she had stubbornly refused to be carried to the healing rooms and had walked herself, proud with a white bloodless face, clearly wracked with pain. Deirdre had followed close behind, her fearful eyes betraying how serious the white Dame’s condition truly was.
Cael had seen Rosanna later that night sat at the high table for supper in the great hall. Dressed in a fine silver dress, with her hair artfully arranged, from a spectator’s perspective the White Dame was as fearless and untouched as always. However to her close friends, Rosanna’s slight winces and tired eyes, showed to extent of her wounds. Even Cael, who’d been sat among the common folk, sharing a hearty ale with some of the stable lads, noticed her discomfort plain as day. However he had not tried to lend his aid, knowing Rosanna’s hard pride.
He admired her still, despite being spurned so publically. The party had showed him much kindness over the event. Lady Alexandra had been gentle, making sure Cael got an extra hard biscuit now and then, slipping him a silver for an ale in Specularum. Bravery had teased him a little, but his father had put a stop to it soon enough.
Cael was a hardy fellow and although he was not a good dwarf, the blood of stone ran in his veins. It would take more than a pretty girl’s rejection to cast him into dejection. Especially now he had another prospective courtship on hand…
Looking below him from the battlements he could see wagons and carts beginning to filter in from the nearby village. The stable boys were awakening from their hangovers and dragging themselves up to saddle the horses.
His pony would be in the stable, resting up. He’d drop by and feed her a carrot later, before breakfast in the main hall.
The white smoke from the plume of the mountain could be seen faintly in the far horizon. Cael sighed gently, his life had never been simple, so why should it be now?
Anyway there was hearty breakfast to be had….
They rode to the mountain range just after Breakfast (A hearty slab of back bacon, rye bread, sausages, black pudding and a small ale). Joined this time by Percival, a tight lipped fellow in Cael’s opinion. He hadn’t been up for much conversation with Cael on the ride to the mountain and wasn’t impressed by his knowledge of bar shanties. One good thing about him was his obviously well-crafted armour and the loving kiss he’d given his wife Deidre on departure. For the latter factor alone, Cael hoped Percival would last through whatever awaited them within the mountain…
The entrance to the mountain was the same as before they met the Sphinx at the junction point. She seemed bored as ever. This time smoking a strange long pipe, the likes of which Cael had never seen.
‘So you’re back for more?’ She drawled, taking a puff of her pipe.
Rosanna simply huffed in reply and made to move towards the right-hand passage.
Cael hung back to chat with the strange creature, in his opinion it never hurt to be a little friendly with folk, no matter how strange their appearance.
Count William also hung behind and began to chatter to the creature rapidly, in his disjointed fashion. Sometimes in his eagerness, the Count seemed almost like a young boy to Cael.
A young boy with terrifying cosmic power….Cael made sure not to dwell on that too long mentally.
After a short friendly chat with the Sphinx, Cael managed to persuade her to let him trim and clean her claws. Growing up with a twin sister, he had some expertise in the area.
The sphinx had seemed rather pleased with his efforts and shared some key information about the fates that befell the previous adventurers. Including a party of the king’s champions, Rockhome Dwarves. Cael made a mental note to ask his father, or more likely Tela about the history of such an expedition in the future…if they ever made it out alive.
Rosanna was tapping her foot impatiently by the end of the conversation. Her beautiful face twisted into a scowl.
‘Shall we press on?’ She said, for perhaps the tenth time.
Count William reluctantly pulled himself away from the Sphinx and they carried on, deeper into the heart of the mountain.
Soon they encountered their first challenge, the corridor was filled with an iridescent green slime. Cael searched his brain for some vague Knowledge of the gloop, wishing for perhaps for the 100th time Tela was with them, she was the bookworm, not him.
However his schooling had prevailed, this time, and he recognised the slime as highly corrosive to the touch.
Luckily Count William quickly froze the slime and allowed the party a safe method of crossing over.
They travelled onwards until they reached a strange door, curiously rotted around the edges. Cael checked for traps and found a spring-like mechanism between the stone and the door. Such a strange place this was…
Alexandra strode forward and bravely opened the door, thankfully her prior knowledge of the trap prevented her triggering it.
The room inside was revealed to be filled with glowing orbs mounted onto the ceiling. Cael before anyone could act, decided to shoot a bolt at one of the far orbs. He aimed poorly and the bolt bounced off the central orb, but luckily it shattered. A tumble of gems clattered to the floor.
‘Master Dwarf continue’ ordered Alexandra
Cael was glad to oblige, shattering all of the orbs in turn. The only adversaries that emerged were a pack of dark shadows and a grey slime. The party finished off the shadows, not before Bravery was drained a little, much to his chagrin. Cael shot down the grey slime in one blow.
The combined loot was split amongst the party after the fighting was concluded.
Cael picked up the strange ring in the furthest corner of the room. Having heard its voice in their minds, they all knew what it claimed to grant the bearer. Cael looked over at Rosanna for a second, her hair flowing across her back, tousled from battle. She cut a striking figure. For a second, a hard mean part of his mind, whispered for him to use the ring for persuasive purposes. An image came to him of Rosanna in the robes of his people, a crown of gemstones upon her brow, she his wife and him the lord of his clan. Then it passed as quickly as it had come. Cael felt sullied, he dropped the ring to the floor and went to examine the other loot…
Alexandra had watched Cael drop the ring and quickly went over and picked it from the stone flags. Her parents…her brother…one wish was all it could take. She slipped the ring onto her finger. Only time would tell if it would keep its promise.
Cael gathered up a wand of paralysis for his spoils and the party split the gold between them.
However all was not over…
A party of bug-bears stormed the room as soon as the door was opened. Soon the group was engaged in fearsome battle. Alexandra cutting down two of the beasts with her great sword. With the might of the heroes soon the battle was concluded.
One lone bug-bear remained, cowering before them. Count William soothed him in the language of his people and coaxed him to their side. Soon the bug-bear was singing like a canary, of the ruler this place and his indoctrination. He promised to aid the party find the other weapons.
They pressed on further into the catacombs, led by the bug-bear. They came upon another room, filled with a rank stench. The smell of death.
They entered cautiously to find five zombies standing in a row. Cael drew his crossbow for battle, however one of them stepped forward…
‘Find who is the odd one out and we shall let you pass’ it hissed through rotten teeth.
Cael was mystified. Then Alexandra cried out ‘9’!
The zombie line shuddered and then stepped out of the party’s way, leaving the exit clear.
However in front of them at the far end of the room was a strange spinning contraption…
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