Viconia' s Return to the Underdark

[Legolas]

"Uhm, weelll..."

If I'm going to steal anthing at all from this place, I'd better get on their good side. But I think I'd rather move to another house
Wards, a gollem, and a huge, scary dog are too much for poor Skip. To make matters worse, Tethyrean Mastiff has a bad breath. The thief is struggling to keep his bladder in check.

"I.. ehr, I, well.. My auntie is very sick and promised I'd go visit her tonight. So, uhm, I can't really go with you, much as I like. Besides, I would need to get my own equipment. If you go to the Underdark, I wouldn't want to have to walk home all by myself, unarmed."

"Not that I'll be robbed in this town, I still got my receipt from last week. But people out of town don't respect the thieves guilds anymore these days... Hey, maybe it was secretmaster who robbed me a tenday back. I couldn't see a face from the shadows, but I uh, I honestly didn't recognise him not at all...
"And besides, I need to get the ring back to the Hall of Wonders. I bet Gond is wondering which unfortnate mortal took it this time. Heh. Wouldn't want it to look like it was me."

Somehow he has the feeling his excuses won't be very convincing.

"Now look, I promise not to tell anyone where you are going, okay. I don't even know how to get to the Underdark, except by digging a very big hole in the ground, and I don't want to know either. I.. I'm no good at fighting, I'm just an apprentice learning to clean weaponry. I can't see in the dark, and I'm very, very afraid of anything unnatural, including drow. I'm no adventurer."

When Tethyrean Mastiff starts to nuzzle him, he yelps, then adds
"Uh, and I need to chance into some fresh clothes..."

[I] just as Skip is walking out the door, the door opens up, and to his horror, he sees a huge 6'2 man, with an axe, a sword, bows, knives, tattoos all over. "And just where do you think YOUR going mister. SecretMaster told me about you. YOur coming." He lifts up skip by the shirt and drags him inside.
"Well, Here's my party. All here. Let me introduce you to them. The dwarf is StoneRock, a cleric. The big guy, he's Hogarth the Northern Barbarian, The gnome is Galdaar the ma..."
"Not really a mage, an inventor of the sorts, really" Galdaar blurts out.
"Yes yes, a inventor, the mage over here, he's Aganthar, and the monk is Hardpunch."

The giant Barbarian is wearing snow white fur boots from a winter wolf, greaves from a steelhide crocodile, and wearing a worn down chain shirt. You can see many scars and tattoos on him, and you see that he is a walking weapon shop. His sword sheath is on his girdle, along with daggers, short swords, and two throwing axes and 5 throwing knives. A huge battle axe is attached to the back of his chain armor, along with his quiver and bow. He has a variety of daggers on his greaves, and thick leather bracers.

StoneRock the dwarf is wearing dwarven forged plate mail, just covering the chest. You can see priest robes cover his arms, but when you look closer they are mithril chains with engravings of Clangeddin the dwarven god. He is wearing dwarven crafted mithril for leg protection, and leather boots. You notice a fine girdle that holds a sling, and bullets. You also notice many scrolls of the sort on pouches. His warhammer is in his hand, and you notice a small shield, but large to a dwarf, on the back of his platemail. He does not wear a helmet, but you notice his fine light brown hair and hazel eyes.

[Galadria]

ATTALUS
(to group) Welcome, all. This is Odo, my captain of the guard. Odo, will you please take them and show them their rooms. Skip, I'm going to let you go get your things, but Lady Galadria has somethig for you.
GALADRIA
Alla resta notocorda p'rt va, (waves hands in mystical manner) Skip feels an unpleasant tingle. "Well, now, my fine young thief, if it's training you need, it's training you'll get. You now have a geas on you to return to that very spot before sundown, or you'll be turned into a newt. Now, get going. Bring light clothing and a bedroll, and whatever weapons you are proficient in. They play for keeps down there, and so do I."
(turns to Viconia) Vicky, do we have what we need for the trip, here?
VICONIA
"Yes, abbil, I feel we do. We have all that we had before. Attalus' great sword, for one." (she touches Attalus' hand, apparantly accidentally. Their eyes lock, then part) The words 'my terrible, wonderful man' drift across her mind. She sternly represses them. She goes on. " The globe that Secretmaster gave you will be an asset, but we must use it grudgingly. Light in the Underdark is likely to attract undesirable attention. How I wish I had time to teach you the Drow hand-signalling! We would need less talk. Perhaps you, with your magic, can perform the spell that the silver one did, and make all of you appear as the Drow? Then, we could sneak into Mezzobaranzan and try to find Valen?"

[ 01-05-2002: Message edited by: Galadria ]

[Galadria]

OOC>>Wow, that was fun. Got to head towork, now. CYA later

The monk Hardpunch is standing straight up, and keeping an eye on the door. He looks serious, and it looks as if he was about to spring on someone. You can see that he has one braid in his hair, which is colored black. His hair is a blondish, and he is wearing red robes tied by a golden rope. You can see some mysterious writing on them, but the incantiations are beyond your knowledge to read. You can see the outline of a sword and sheath that is in a special robe sword holder area.

The gnomish mage/inventor Galdaar is fidgeting with a weird contraption of his. you can see that he caries a pack that fits the shape of a tool holder, and a spellbook and scroll holder. He has a finly trimmed beard that is black, along with his messy hair. He is wearing purple robes with a bright gold and blue to it, and you can see gnomish writing on them. You also notice a weird staff that has a glowing orb 4 inches above the staff.

You finally look to see the last party member, Aganther. He is holding a dagger that glows a bit blue. He is wearing fine light brown robes, with a green color along the sides of the robes. He has brown hair, and his robes are opened like a night gown. You can see that underneath the robes, he has a smaller robe that is pure red. He wears a scroll case to hold his spellbook and scrolls. He seem precoccupied about something, but its probably a mage thing

[Legolas]

Oh great! Now I have a geas on me. Could things get any worse than this?

"Well.. I suppose I'll leave through the back door then. To avoid the guards. Um... bye everyone. I look, ehr, forward to seeing you again (yeah, right)"

He rose from his chair, restricted by his wet trousers, and waggled out. While he was at it, he might as well take what he could. He didn't think he was going to live much longer anyway.
Grabbing a bag of darts, a curved swordlike thing, three daggers and a helmet, Skip made his way to the alley. He'd get the man over at te Sorcerous Sundries to identify it.
They got along well, he had items identified for free, the mage got a share of the profit. Hey, maybe he can break the geas!

"Darts of wounding, Dagger +1, a Helm of Glory made for a giant's head, Longtooth. There's a good one for you. And what have we here? A short sword of Mask! Where'd you pick that one up? Don't answer that. I don't need to know.
What else have you got? A scimitar +2, and another dagger +1.
Not bad, not bad. And your other clients?
Hm. Plain ring of invisibility, the umpteenth Ring of the Princess, and a load of gems. I suggest you dump it all, but make sure you get a good price for the sword. And get yourself some fresh clothes for crying out loud."

"Yeah, but they put a geas on me. To make me goto the Underdark, of all places. Can't you, like, get it off?"

"A geas? Underdark? Well, it's been a pleasure doing buisness with you Skip."

"But.. I.. well, you know where I live. You can have my stuff."

Merchants were so easy. No asking questions, just buying it all. He'd sold everything but the sword. And the darts. Noone wanted those either. And the ring. He needed to figure out how it worked first, but it could come in handy.

And four pairs of trousers. As if I'd last that long. A bedroll, as ordered. They'd have to bring the food, he wasn't going to drag that with him. He might be cursed, but he wasn't a mule. Rope, daggers, magical sword. And the darts can come as well. Armour is no use. Maybe some antidote potions. I'll have to buy those first, but I won't be coming back. Grandma's amulet, and maybe a flask of wine. At least I could die happy then. Oh, and a big bag. You never know what you'll find, and maybe I could escape after all.


OOC: Okay, we'll pick this up later [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 01-05-2002: Message edited by: Legolas ]

[Galadria]

(It is nightfall, and the party has assembled. They steal out of the city, unmolested by any. Viconia has her hood drawn close, and is wielding Crom Faeyr. Attalus is in full armor, carrying the sword Carsomyr with the Eye of Tyr gleaming in its pommel. Galadria carries only a simple staff, wearing a black silk mage robe. They are fully equipped with food and potions. Marching by night and sleeping by day, they finally, just at dusk, arrrive at what appears to be a le cave in the side of a green hill. Secretmaster and Skip check the area for traps and ambushes, finding none.
GALADRIA
Vickey, how did you find this place? It is not so far from where we found you.
VICONIA
Abbil, my brother Valen told me of it. It was here whence one of his war patrols departed to raid the surface world. I remember well when he came to me, to tell me of his disgust at the senseless carnage of children and women that the drow of his patrol performed. I felt that secret knowlege could be useful, I sought it out, and to here I ran in my escape. I was so naive, I felt that I could carve out a new life here. That oaf from the Flaming Fist that you dispatched was going to bring me in for a reward posted, a thousand for the death of any drow. I still wonder at your showing up and fighting for me like that.
GALADRIA
You can thank Attalus for that. He said that his paladin senses told him that you were all right, and that he couldn't let that racist have you.
(They take one last breath os surface air and plunge into the cave. Immediately, they are surrounded with darkness, and they pause for a minute to let their vision recover.

[ 01-05-2002: Message edited by: Galadria ]

[ 01-05-2002: Message edited by: Galadria ]

By nightfall the small party is making good progress, but then SecretMaster stops.
"I sense somthing odd, somthing different. The ground seems as if it is moving." Everyone remains motionless, until SecretMaster spots something.
"Look! Water. My gods, were above the flooded cloakwood mines!!! Galadria, are we supposed to be here?"

[Galadria]

GALADRIA(to Secretmaster)"No, I can only suppose that the tunnel that we entered has a communication with the Mines."
Viconia(examines wall)"There has been recent digging here, abbil. Who do you suppose would want to come from the Underdark to the mines? We killed Daevorn and looted it, long ago. Perhaps we should investigate, there may be some clue as to recent Drow activity that might give us a ruse sufficient to get us into Mezzobarashan.
(to Secretmaster)(puts her hands on his arm and fixes him with her imploring gaze) "I have been told that you are a great thief. Do you think that you could discover if there has been a drow incursion, or simply an attempt at clumsy burglary?"
GALADRIA(maliciously) "Yes, Secretmaster, and you can take Skip and show hjm how a Master does it."

[ 01-05-2002: Message edited by: Galadria ]