What a night! I don't remember the last time I ran in such fear for my life! Let me tell you what happened...
First things first... after returning to Ishad N'ha and getting the wizard and warrior quests for the Boogre Caves, the peasants hopped on their horse and ran up to the entrance. Nothing of real interest, although I've noticed that there always seem to be some creeping spores, or fuming fungi, or something in that area... methinks it's a planned encounter, but I never know exactly where they will be. So they run around, and sure enough, they find them.
This isn't the time to discover you've fat-fingered the wrong spells, but it happens... and ultimately, the spores deflate.
On to the caves, and the first interesting thing of the night, something I've never seen before.
We entered, and Pris'kiel'a gave her little speech and flipped the lever. As often happens, if you're just standing there, you get crunched.... not a good thing for peasants, lemmetellya.
We tried jumping up and down, but didn't get the timing right. And we were also close to the gate wher Pris'kiel'a stands... real close, in fact. We didn't fall.
We kept jumping. And didn't fall.
Suddenly, there was a click. We jumped... and nothing. We looked... the floor was back!
This... is not good. Time to save in a different slot. Fast!
Look at that! The gate is open to where the Band of Boars is! Well, never leave a chest unopened, I always say... so they loot it.
Hmmm... we can flip the lever that drops the floor. I wonder... nope. Doesn't work. Well, let's leave, and see if it retriggers when we enter.
Just as Gruhntella flips the lever, the floor drops out... but we've left! Flip the lever back, and we re-enter. Pris'kiel'a doesn't show up again, but we can open the floor ourselves and see what happens. Sure enough, it opens, we drop, and S'keser Da starts her cursing. Looks like we've escaped it... but I've now found a new way to quickly complete that second rogues' guild quest!
The peasants immediately head off to find Blubarb, since he seems to get into fight quite often in my games, and he's the only reliable source of boogre brew in the caves. Heck, in the whole Gael Serran, for that matter [img]graemlins/cheers.gif[/img]
Gruhntella counts out multiple sets of five shiny thingies, collecting enough for everyone and a couple of spares. You never know when you'll need them...
Boogre Murderers and Maniacs are really popular tonight. Many were the battles with one on each side... the peasants attacked with sword and staff (knowing that mana needed to be saved for the lilies later on), and would attack until the target was paralyzed or slept. Then they'd switch sides, attacking the other, until that one was immobilized. Then they'd switch back to the first... man, did that make for some long battles! At least they got some decent XP out of it...
They ran the gauntlet, each placing their Brew at the idol. Funny... I never thought about the value of one point of fortitude, but for the peasants... it's amazing. Really. I think there are going to be some warlocks soon... within another four or five levels, that is.
They then had to battle the beast in the pit, pushing as many boogres as they could into the pit first. Hey, collateral damage is okay... as long as we don't attack them, right? Unfortunately, another trio of Murderers showed up... back to paralyze/sleep fighting again. I think I'll call that paraleep fighting...
All right... got the ring, and ready to go on. They go to battle the spirits by Grunaxe's ghost... one of these days, I'll remember where the fourth wooden peg is, but not today. Now it's off to see Pris'kiel'a and then S'keser Da... but normally, I just take the witch out with spells. Can't do that this time... there are lilies around the corner, and every mana point is precious. Gotta battle her hand-to-hand... and she's casting that damned locust swarm again. Man, do I hate that spell when it's used on me!
Eventually they take her out, and now the decision: the lilies at the exit, the lilies by the Idol of Aku, or sit down and cry...
They decide on the exit lilies first... and Eljayess' meteorstorm takes out the first one. Yay! Now for the second... whoops! Periwinkle's meteorstorm fizzled!
That's not good...
Eljayess, cast another... but it's not enough! Crap! We're now out of mana... time to switch to any other spells that might do damage. Whoops! The lily is too close... breathing....
RUNNNNN!!!!!!!!
*cough* *hack* *heeeeep*
Back up... wait for it to turn the corner... incinerate... fizzle. FIZZLE?
RUNNNNN!!!!!!!!
*cough* *hack* *heeeeep*
The peasants get backed up to the first teleport spot in the maze... and have no choice but to go through. Everyone's orange now... lily breath is very bad in the mornings. Hmmm... maybe it will wander around in the maze and die... but hey, the first place it will show up is here! Quick, jump to another teleport!
Oh, great. We're out of mana, being chased by a lily, and running around a teleport maze. At any time, a big green bulbous head could suddenly teleport into the room with us.... won't that be *special*
We teleport again, dive into a corner, and try to recuperate. We're almost out of cure poison potions, but Flicker's casting the spell first. Unfortunately, she can only cast four... *fizzle*
Damn. Three... two... *fizzle*
*sigh* Break out the potions... What's that sound? Cripes! It's the sound of something teleporting... something big and green, I bet! Let's run... anywhere!
Whew! It's not in this room... but it is in the next one!!! QUICK! Cast spells before it breathes!
*fizzle*
Damn.
RUNNNNN!!!!!!!!
*cough* *hack* *heeeeep*
Eventually, the party finishes off the lily, but it's not a lot of fun. The nice thing about being a boogre is all the HP... the downside is all the HP that need to be healed when you're *THAT* damaged
Great... now there are two more lilies by the idol... well, let's go take care of Doshi Gin first. Somehow, I think I want to have an extra hundred hitpoints when we battle him... but first, the trio of Boogre Murderers that wait out there.
Time for more... what did I call it? Paraleep fighting. This is getting old... but it beats dying.
Doshi Gin is eventually beaten... but he's not being nice and keeps walking out of the meteorstorms. Eventually, they finish him with sword and staff... inventory is getting kind of full here. Those double battle axes are pretty hefty... give 'em to the faerie
The party then heads back to the Idol of Aku, ready to do battle with the jungle lilies hiding with it. Mana has been recharged, so we've got some meteorstorms ready to launch, and if we're in trouble, we can just take the eye back out and close them back into the room. If we're lucky, one might even get stuck in the doorway and get crushed...
Ready? Here we go... stick in the eye, cast meteorstorm, and pull it back out. Success.... and at least one is taking damage! But it's not dead... not a good sign.
Round two... stick it in, turn, cast, pull it out... pull it... pull... PULL... PULL!!!!!!
RUNNNNN!!!!!!!!
*cough* *hack* *heeeeep*
Okay, time for plan B. Heck, time to *make up* plan B!
What spells do we have? No more storms... okay, line up everything. Moon, stone, sun... until we're out of burn and shock, we've still got more to go.
Eventually, the peasants slay the last lily, turn back to their normal selves, and make their way out through the teleport maze again, where they sit, ready to go back to Ishad N'ha and complete their quests. Then it's on to Brimloch Roon, and the eventual end of this experiment.
Funny... Only two of the peasants levelled up... Lightfingers and Periwinkle. No one else got enough XP... so I think the total XP available was less than 150,000. That's going to make for a long trip around the lakes in Brimloch Roon...
More later, probably Thursday. I have to head to Los Angeles tomorrow, and I get back Thursday AM.