Reaping 2 (cont):  During the evening Taizu and Tarva entertain the group with songs they’ve written about an incident which happened before they joined, but which the original group members have expounded about in great detail.

Carruca’s  Lament
by Taizu Trel'lyn Treesong

Once there was a ranger bold,
Whose story was one, which begged to be told;

One day, alas, she met a serpent mean,
And became the most misbegotten hero every seen;

Seeking warmth in the night the viper did creep,
Next to the unwary ranger who was fast asleep;

Only upon waking did the ranger not something amiss,
As her dream lover left forth a mighty hiss;

Strike once, strike twice, strike thrice did he,
But never a wound took she;

Until with her dagger she made to fight,
And struck her shoulder worse than any bite;

Then laughed the pixie Zephyr;
And the ranger screamed, “I’m going to get ya;”

Blinding fast did the ranger leap,
And upon the pixie with the snake did she beat;

But alas the hapless ranger was unaware,
Of the dead snake’s fury and its snare;

Fangs dripping venom in its last gasp,
Did tear across the pixie’s ass;

Then Zephyr the bonnie wind did fall,
And that alas I am afraid is all;

And what should you make of my tale at the last?
Just this, never strike a friend with an asp!
 

Carrica’s Viper
by Tarva Streamside

(to the tune of … [well, if you can’t figure it out for yourself there’s no hope for you])

 
Now   this   is the   tale   of our   slug-   a-   bed
She’s   there   for a   long,   long   time
A   vi-   per   coiled   in-   side   her   bag
Which   she   will   not   be-   slime.

A-   woke   Car-   ric-   a   with   the   snake
And   did   not   dare   to   move;
The   oth-   ers   gath-   ered   ‘round   her   bed,
Their   help   she   did   be-   hoove.

Some   said   to   jerk   the   cov-   ers   back
And   smash   the   snake   ex-   posed;
Some   said   to   cap-   ture   ro-   dents   to
Lure   snake   out   from   bed   clothes.

Small   Ze-   phyr   said   to   make   loud   noise
And   drive   the   snake   a-   way.
The   oth-   ers   tal-   king   did   not   hear
To   say   her   yea   nor   nay.

So   Ze-   phyr   wan-   dered   to   and   fro
To   feed    and   groom   the   stock.
And   as   she   passed   Car-   ric-   a’s   bed
Her   plight   Ze-   phyr   did   mock.

Car-   ric-   a   thus   in-   censed   to   wrath
Took   knife   to   vi-   per   slice
But   hamp-   ered   by   bed   clothes   and   rage
She   cut   her   shoul-   der   twice.

The   oth-   ers   then   tore   up   the   bed:
The   vi-   per   they   did   cream.
Mean-   while   Ze-   phyr   the   hor-   ses   led
To   wa-   ter   at   the   stream.

Then   up   sprang   Car-   ric-   a   full   sore
Grabbed   vi-   per   by   the   tail;
And   run-   ning   down   to   Ze-   phyr’s   back
She   used   it   like   a   flail.

Rep-   tiles   and   snakes   too   slow-   ly   die
The   vi-   per   on   her   back
Sank   fangs   in   deep,   and   with    them   set,
Emp-   tied   its   poi-   son   sac.

Down   falls   Ze-   phyr   in-   to   a   faint
Her   blood   starts   to   con-   geal.
The   cler-   ic   Ahb   prays   to   her   God:
This   wound   she   can-   not   heal.

Then   Sha-   dow   leaps   on-   to   a   horse
Lo-   thar   hands   Ze-   phyr   up;
If   there   is   aught   Sha-   dow   can   do
Ze-   phyr   will   pass   this   cup.

The   horse   he   gal-   lops   back   to   town
To   find    there-   in   a   cure.
The   horse   he   whips   to   fas-   ter   speed
Per-   mits   not   one   de-   tour.

But   at   the   edge   of   town   his   steed
Al-   though   of   val-   iant   heart
Comes   to   a   stop,   falls   to   the   ground
Its   soul   does   then   de-   part.

Ta-   king   small   Ze-   phyr   in   his   arms
And   run-   ning   up   main   street
Sha-   dow   comes   to   a   chem-   ist’s   shop
Some   aid   to   there   en-   treat.

A   pot-   ion   small   with-   in   a   vial
Is   held   to  Ze-   phyr’s   lips
Her   blood   is   cold,   her   vis-   ion   dark
But   from   the   flask   she   sips.

A   bright-   er   day   than    aught   could   say:
Ze-   phyr   has   won   this   bout.
A-   pol-   o-   ge-   tic   Car-   ric-   a
Must   pay   for   horse   and   draught.

So   that   was the   tale   of our   slug-   a-   bed
And   here   its   mor-   al   deep:
Do   not   taunt   those   in   dire   dis-   tress
Lest   you   their   for-   tune   reap.




Reaping 2:  In the morning we go back into the lower level through the newly found side entrance.  Marching order has in the front Lothar on the left and Tarva, with lantern, on the right; in the middle Ahb on the left and Taizu on the right; in the rear Carrica on the left and Beldwyn, with lantern, on the right.

We go back to the stream and take the other passageway, hearing a buzzing sound as we do.  The passageway opens out into a large cavern, slightly phosphorescent, with a lot of small crystals in the walls and ceiling which reflected our lantern lights.  There are two dozen or so large sarcophagi in the room with excellently carved dwarven runes.  From what the longer sighted can tell, the cavern is about 200’ long, but has a dropoff not very many feet along the cavern from where we’ve entered.  Lothar knows that the runes on the sarcophagi will tell who is in each one, and how they died; the carvings will indicate their clan and status.  Sarcophagi are usually not trapped; the dead are sometimes buried with possessions.  Each sarcophagus is 9’ long, 6’ wide, 3’ high, made of marble.  Three of the sarcophagi have special writing.  Taizu checks those three for traps and finds none.  Lothar reads the runes: “Dougel the Old”, “Namic the Unlucky”, “Gerrin Orc Doom”.  There is a sculpture of a dwarf on top of this one, holding a war hammer.  There are stairs down the right side of the dropoff, which bottom out at one end of a footpath through the lower part of the cavern.  From here, in the distance, there appear to be other higher sections (like the one we’re on) of the cavern, but nobody can see if there are stairs up to them or not.  The far sighted do see what look like a couple of narrow passageways going off from the sides of the lower cavern.  There is a slight breeze blowing, and the earlier buzzing now seems a little louder.  The wall opposite the dropoff at first looked like it had been created in a rockfall, but upon closer examination it appears to have been built up from the floor – but clearly is not the quality of dwarven work.  15’ to 20’ tall, it seems to have been built to block off the cavern in that direction.  Some speculation is advanced that earlier non-dwarven intruders, such as the ones who built this wall, might have been grave robbers.  Respectfully we open the sarcophagus of Gerrin, and find that his warhammer is still in there with him.  Before we close it back up, we notice that it has the symbol of Durgeddin on it.

We go down the stairs.  The footpath winds between growths of fungi, which Ahb and Carrica tell us contain several edible varieties, plus some useful for medicinal purposes, plus puffballs which can be distilled for liquor.  The lefthand (north) passage links back up with the area we explored yesterday.  As we near the end of the path, Lothar sees two creatures on top of the higher section immediately to our left, and yells, “Monsters!”

1: Grick1 hits Ahb for 3 with a tentacle;   Grick2 misses Lothar.

2: Tarva hits Grick1 for 9; Taizu hits Grick2 for 7;  Lothar hits Grick2 for 11; Ahb yells that these are, “Gricks.  Carrica look out for the fire.” drops her torch and hits Grick1 for 3; Grick1 hits Ahb for 9; Grick2 hits Lothar for 5; Carrica misses;  Beldwyn Magic Missiles Grick2 for 7 and it dies.

3: Tarva hits Grick1 for 13 and it dies.

Ahb tells everyone that Gricks cannot be hurt except by magic weapons.

133 ep fight.
 
Tarva asks if Grick body parts are useful for anything?  Carrica thinks that sections of Grick skin might be useful in making some potions.  For the moment, we continue down the footpath, which ends shortly thereafter at a metal door, 5’ tall, 4’ wide, set in the cavern wall.  There is a silver  rune of Durgeddin on the door.  There are no hinges or handle, at least on this side, but there is a keyhole.

Lothar checks the walls beside the door, taking 40 minutes to do this thoroughly.  Tarva and Taizu strip two 1’ x 4’ sections of skin off the dead gricks.  Ahb Heals Lothar and herself.  Taizu attempts to pick the lock, but fails, in spite of giving it 20 minutes of painstaking attention.  Lothar asks if there is any magic associated with the door, so Beldwyn casts Detect Magic but finds none.  We decide to check out the rest of the complex before doing anything drastic like poring acid into the lock works.

Taizu casts Feather Fall on Beldwyn, who casts Spider Climb on herself and goes up the side of the plateau the gricks came down from.  Once on top she sees a passageway at the back of the landing.  She comes back down, casts Spider Climb on Lothar, and they both go back up with a rope, which Lothar uses to help get the rest of the party up on the landing also.

The passageway is 5’ wide, opens out into a 30’ x 30’ cavern, full of remains.  Searching it over time we find: 30cp, 40sp, 6gp, scale mail, 36gp, 120sp, 75cp, 25cp, 20sp, 8gp, 60cp, 10cp, 10gp, two daggers.

After we’re all back down,  Lothar and Beldwyn – still able to spider climb – check out the one other ledge we’ve seen.  It’s close off (no passageways), nothing else on it; they come back down.

We go to the south passageway, which starts very near the foot of the stairs.  5’ to 7’ wide, it goes down some shallow stairs and around a corner to another cavern about 30’ wide, 15’ high, and 150’ long, with a very fast moving stream running through it lengthwise, from right (west) to left.  The right wall is about 10 from the entrance of this passageway – the stream is issuing from a fissure in that wall which looks like it could be transversable.  We’re walking towards the other end, and have just noticed that the stream is pouring over the lip of a waterfall, when Tarva stumbles and slides into the stream.

[There should be rounds here, but aren’t, sorry.]   
Tarva drops her candle lantern, but manages to sheath Heart’s Reach.  Taizu pulls out a rope and tosses it to Tarva, but she misses her grab for it.  Holding on at the middle, Beldwyn tosses the other end of the rope to her, only to watch it slide through Tarva’s fingers.  While trying to help, Lothar also falls into the stream.  Taizu casts Feather Fall on Tarva. Carrica throws an entire coil of rope to Lothar, neglecting to hold on to an end.  Lothar catches it and throws one end back, which Carrica catches.  Tarva makes a final grab at the end of Taizu’s rope and catches it; unfortunately nobody is holding the other end..  Ahb helps Carrica to hold the rope Lothar is on.  Beldwyn casts Ray Of Frost on the stream near the waterfall; some of the water turns to ice, but there is no daming effect or slowdown of the current.  Princess Meggie suddenly appears out of nowhere and grabs the land end of Tarva’s rope.  Carrica and Ahb both drop the rope they are holding, and Lothar goes over the waterfall, the rope trailing behind him.  As Taizu moves to help Princess Meggie hold Tarva’s rope, Tarva switches to hold onto the middle of Lothar’s rope, and thus starts following him over the falls, while she yells, “Lothar, don’t let go!”  Carrica scrambles to the edge of the waterfall while grabbing the rope Princess Meggie and Taizu are still holding.  Looking over the edge she sees Tarva floating down slowly, with the rope below her very taught with Lothar’s weight.  While still holding on to the rope anchored by Princess Meggie and Taizu, Carrica manages to also grab the trailing end of the now slowly moving rope that Tarva and Lothar are on.  The jerk from this terminates the Feather Fall on Tarva, and she is now trying to hold herself, as well as Lothar, suspended on the rope while being battered by the falling water.  The jerk also pulls Carrica into the water.

Lothar can just barely make out a pool of water about 60’ below him.  Princess Meggie, Taizu, Ahb, and Beldwyn pull Carrica back onto land, and up to the flatter section of the cave floor.  Princess Meggie disappears again to wherever she came from.  Lothar, battered by the water, loses consciousness and lets go of the rope, falling, for 6 points of damage.  Taizu, Ahb, and Beldwyn try to switch to helping hold the rope Carrica is holding, but Taizu fails to grab it, and in the process Carrica also drops it.  Ahb and Beldwyn are pulled off their feet and start sliding towards the stream.  Carrica grabs Ahb’s feet and stops the sliding; Taizu grabs Carrica to start pulling them all back up to the flat surface.  This becomes much easier when the rope loses its tension as Tarva loses consciousness, lets go, and falls, for 5 points of damage.

Tarva revives floating in a pool, starting to drift away from the waterfall.  This room is slightly phosphorescent, enough so that she can see she’s in something larger than just this pool, that the stream exits this pool heading south and leaves the cavern again in a few dozen feet. Near the stream’s exit is a darkness she takes to be a passageway, and at the Eastern end she can see two doors.  The space she can see is about 60’ x 40’, of which the pool takes up a 20’ x 20’ area in the northwest corner.  Tarva finds the rope and, knowing that dwarves don’t float, dives into the pool searching for him.  She actually finds him, but is too clumsy to tie the rope around him, so with pretty much the last of her air she struggles to raise him back to the surface.  Once there she’s able to use the last of her energy to drag Lothar to the edge of the pool and push him out, but then is too exhausted to pull herself out after him.

Meanwhile, above, Taizu throws off his pack, casts Feather Fall on himself, and jumps over the edge of the falls.  Ahb, Beldwyn, and Carrica find stairs next to the waterfall, and on their side of the stream, and dash down.  Taizu reaches the water surface, ‘lands’ gently, and swims to Tarva.  He first pushes her out then pulls himself out.  Tarva tells him Lothar’s not breathing, so he shifts over, casts a Healing spell for 13, but Lothar is still not breathing.  A second Healing spell and suddenly he is, although still unconscious.  Ahb, Beldwyn, and Carrica arrive and begin succoring to the near-drowned. 

We decide that returning to camp, having a hot meal, and resting, is too attractive an idea to be overcome by the mere promise of more dangers ahead of us.  Before going up the stairs and along the stream again, we first tie everyone off along a 100’ rope.  We stop to get Taizu’s pack and then head out, taking the shorter path through the fungi and skipping the sarcophagi.  Those in better shape bring the horses outside (cooking inside not being a good idea) and Carrica goes hunting. 

Nothing happens during the night.

Reaping 3:  We go back to the pool room and to the leftmost of the two doors on the south wall.  It’s wooden, and so swollen that even Lothar can’t open it.  Carrica manages to open it (with much groaning by both her and the door) and inside is a 30’ x 30’ room with two archways on the far wall.  This room is full of barrels which smell of spoiled food and rot.  There may be more rooms beyond the archway, we can’t see from here.  We head through the left of the two archways.  A liquid spot on the floor suddenly gains mass and ‘slams’ us.  It’s a grey ooze: no mind, acidic qualities, nothing to critically hit, engulfs and dissolves slammed victims.

1: Lothar hits it for 11; Carrica hits it for 2; Taizu puts down his lantern and starts singing Inspire Courage; Ahb casts Bless; Grey Ooze hits Carrica for 2, plus 5 from acid, and starts dissolving her armor;

2: Lothar bloopers, loses turn; Carrica pours waterskin over armor; Grey Ooze does 6 more points plus 6 acid points to Carrica, armor is gone; Taizu hits for 8;  Beldwyn casts Flaming Sphere, but the Grey Ooze takes no damage from it;   Tarva puts up her longsword and takes out her bow;  Ahb casts Magic Weapon on her mace, hits for 4, kills.

Carrica is naked (again), and has lost all her non-magical possessions.

Ahb Heals Carrica.

200 ep fight. 

We scrounge around to find what we can outfit Carrica with.  Scale mail, Lothar’s great ax, Beldwyn’s crossbow and 30 bolts.

Now we go through the arch, and find that both archways lead to the same next room, also 30’ x 30’ with two more archways in the far wall.  Again there is way too much rotting food..  Both of them lead to a third room, 40’ wide by 30’ deep.  There are no doorways apparent in this room.  Beldwyn casts detect magic but finds nothing.  We go back out to the pool room and try the righthand door.  It also is swollen shut.  Again Lothar can’t but Carrica can open it.  Inside are three rooms in a row with doorways (no doors) between them, each room 20’ x 20’, and empty.
We go back to the pool room, where there’s one more passageway yet unexplored; luckily it’s on this side of the stream. 

After following it due south for 20’ it opens up into a wider, diamond-shape landing that we enter along the northeast wall.  A stream – perhaps the same one? – defines the southeast edge of the diamond, and then runs along the left (north) wall of a larger cavern.  In the middle of the southeast ‘face’ of the diamond is an arched bridge over the stream to the rest of the cavern.  Lothar checks out the stonework in the bridge and declares that it is sturdy.  We cross over.  About halfway down the cavern on the right (south) side is a passageway which immediately goes down a flight of steps to a landing with an open doorway to its left.  The landing is ½’ to 1’ deep in stagnant water.  Ahb tosses a Light rock, which splashes, seems to attract nothing, and shines murkily through the shallow water.  Taizu goes down the stairs, followed by Tarva, and sees a series of 20’ x 20’ rooms, the floors all covered by water.  Taizu and Tarva enter, slog through the water, which becomes 3’ deep in places, find some sogged barrels, nothing in the third, farthest room, and return. 

Following the cavern beside the stream further east, we reach the end, where the stream plunges under a sudden left-hand turn of the floor.  Following that across the stream puts us into another cavern along a ledge over the stream, although now it’s on our right, and instead of being at the extreme edge of the cavern, there is now another ledge on the other side of the stream.  About 60’ ahead some of the party can see a door in dressed stone.  There are stalagmites on the other ledge, one much bigger than the others.  As we head towards the door the big one uncoils and says, “Well, well, dinner.”  Carrica and Ahb recognize this as a roper.

1: Roper hits Tarva and attaches a strand; Carrica hits roper with crossbow for 1.

2: Tarva hits strand on her for 8, but it’s still attached to her; Beldwyn casts a Ray Of Enfeeblement, but misses; Roper pulls Tarva into the stream; Roper hits Taizu and attaches a strand; Ahb moves to Taizu, hits the strand for 3; Taizu casts Flare on roper; Carrica misses; Lothar hits strand on Taizu for 14, breaking it.

3: Tarva misses while striking at her strand;  Beldwyn Magic Missiles the roper for 5;  Roper misses Lothar;  Roper pulls Tarva closer, to its side of the stream;  Ahb reserves; Taizu sings Inspire Courage, and shoots longbow for 8;  Carrica misses;  Lothar does nothing (bumps initiative).

4: Lothar readies to react to strands; Tarva hits strand for 14, breaks it, falls into stream; Beldwyn Magic Missiles roper for 2; Roper shoots strand at Lothar, who hits it for 6 and deflects it;  Ahb casts Magic Weapon on three pebbles from pouch, misses with first;  Taizu misses;  Carrica tosses rope to Tarva, who catches it.

5: Tarva pulls herself out of the water on our side and up to the ledge with Carrica’s help;  Beldwyn casts Melf’s Acid Arrow and hits for 4;  Lothar reserves for strand;  Roper casts at Ahb, but Lothar hits for 8 and deflects it;  Ahb throws pebble for 7;  Taizu misses.

6: Tarva changes to longbow;  Beldwyn casts Ray Of Frost, misses;  Lothar reserves for strand;  Roper casts at Taizu, but Lothar hits for 6, deflects the strand, and kills the roper.

1600 ep fight. 

Ahb declares that this has been enough excitement for one day (and Tarva feels that it has been enough falling into streams for an entire week) so we head back to camp.  Carrica’s loss of belongings  means we need to go back to town.

Reaping 4-6:  During the trip back, both Taizu and Tarva keep having bouts of feeling absolutely miserably sick.  Ahb tries casting Minor Restoration on them, but this does nothing.  Once in town, clerics at the Pelor temple believe they’ve contracted a disease (probably from that stagnant water they were only ones to walk through).  Tarva uses her Faith Healing to cure first Taizu then herself.