Chris (Tiberium), Dean (Thic Duc), Mariel (Leah), Matt (Barron), Brian (Pyrcival), and Leah (Ahira) are returning cast members.

As we left the party, Barron had magically swapped places with the captured Thic Duc (“I meant to do that!”), and the party was determined to rescue him. Eventually, after they rested a bit, memorized some spells, maybe trained for a few days…

Of the Fourth Sunday of the Harvester

Progress through the ruined temple is slow. The slavers still have Barron and seem to have a working understanding with various local wildlife. Also, they have a troll. Had a troll. The monster was somehow shrunk to the size of a pebble, and resided in a poor box. Not long after entering the room TD had been taken through, it exploded from hiding, and attacked. Fire being plentiful in this group, we quickly put the thing out of its misery. Finding a both a trap door and a hidden door (beneath and behind the altar, respectively), I was concerned that we'd be caught from behind. We first checked the door behind the altar, and found a large, dilapidated room. The ceiling crumbling, with sunlight streaming through. Still just past midday, Thic Ducc moved in to search the area while I kept an eye on the trapdoor. Hearing squawking, I turned to find he'd been set upon by large mosquito-like creatures. Three attached themselves to him and appeared to be draining his blood. The group took down a dozen of the pests, with Leah finishing off the final stirge from afar, evoking comparison to an archer shooting an apple from some poor peasants' head at a festival.

Having discovered some coin in a drawer in the altar, we took to the trap door. No stairs, so I dropped a long beam vertically, while a rope was dangled. Working down the ~20 feet was no issue. Once down, we found ourselves at a branch. Walking past the first turn, we continued straight, but it appeared the path was too narrow for most of us (perhaps Pryz may have fit?). Instead, we backed up, and took the left turn. Not far down the 'hall', Pyrz and I stumbled into a large, submerged pit. The liquid was not water, however, but some form of a weak acid. It was painful to the skin, and clearly a threat to gear. While attempting to stand, we were attacked by human-sized larvae, pale and disgusting, clearly accustomed to the dark. Recognizing this wasn't a defensible position, Pryz and I backed up onto dry land (as much as anything is dry down here), and attempted the previous route. While we were backing up, Warrin and Leah announced that giant ants had engaged them from the opposite end. The two were able to hold their own, with Leah exterminating several of them, before we all converged back near the rope (and a ladder we'd initially missed). A bottleneck created, Pyrz, Leah, and Warrin were able to withstand wave after wave from the ants, before finally eliminating them all. We've now moved into the cavern from which the ants emerged, and found it empty, with small passages to the side. Cautiously, we're taking a moment to collect ourselves before proceeding. Barron is still out there, and he must be recovered.

Observations of Pyrzival the Gnome

Well, things have been quite a mess. The half-smurf monk returned, and when he woke up, he said that he had been magically switched with Barron, the party half elf accountant, and that now Barron was in the clutches of orcs. I sympathized, having been in the same position myself, but Barron is a lot more capable than I was at that tender young age. Regardless, I am still resolved to attempt a rescue.

The group questioned the monk carefully, but he really only had hazy information. We started searching for the door they took him through, when a troll burst out of the wall and attacked the priest and kid! I yelled at the intern to get fire (thinking it'd keep her out of harms way and we would also need it to finish the troll off once it was subdued), and we engaged the disgusting animal. After a few minutes, my companions and I got the upper hand, and the thing toppled over on me - no doubt wanting to take me down with it. With some help, I managed to get out from under it, and we set it on fire, and watched it burn.

We then found a smaller room off the main room, and while investigating, the monk disturbed a group of stirges, disgusting things - and all of a sudden the air is thick with them. My intern and I help mop up the stirges while Tib takes a break.

After my intern knocked over the statue of the orc god Grumpsh or whatever his name is (an act I applauded, by the way), we found the trapdoor going down, and had to clear the statue off of it, before we could descend into a disgusting water-filled chamber.

Out of this chamber went a passage which branched out quickly, and we investigated one, which opened into a large chamber with a lot of little corridors off of it. It seemed undisturbed, so we investigated the other.

Well, it did not turn out well. After I took the time and trouble to bathe in light beer, Tib and I fall into a deep pit of disgusting acidic crap. To add injury to insult, we promply get attacked by a group of human-sized pasty white larvae. We retreat after getting hit repeatedly, and finish off one of the wormy creatures. At the same time, the other end of the party gets attacked by giant ants! Warren the priest apparently held them off until we redistributed ourselves to deal with both threats. I hold the line against the larvae while we retreat down the corridor - and the larvae stop at the water and start spitting slime at us, which makes me vomit briefly.

The group forms a bottleneck line - with me in front (being a front-rank close-in fighter has advantages and disadvantages) and the ranger firing over my head. After several minutes of fierce fighting, the ants are destroyed, and we regroup to decide which way to go in order to save our missing comrad. We feel reasonably sure we have a bit of time, as they're likely keeping him to sell him into slavery.

Dear diary

Today sucks. After somehow swapping places with Thic Duc, I find my self in the clutches of orcs. Wondering thru the sewers. This is exactly how I like to spend my weekends after all. After a few moments of awkward silence, I attempted to make small talk. This did not go well, apparently orcs have never heard of customer service. I realize its my first time being kidnaped by this crew, but a little manners go along way. They ended up tossing me in a tiny ass cell. I took advantage of this to go invisible and yell out about my glorious escape. I was apparently not important enough to deal with as an escapee... rude. So I went with the next best thing and cast friends on these fellows. They began wondering how I got locked in this cell, except bob... I don't like that guy. I managed to convince them that I was just drunk and got lost. Naturally it worked. Upon release I promptly let shared some elven ale with them and got them drunk for information. Here's what we know: I single handedly found the princess, I also single handedly found the slaves and slavers, the priests run the show, I am somewhere deep under ground in the back of a dungeon (strolling out with my new drinking buds is probably not an option. At this point bob was getting nosey, so I convinced him to go in the cell and find my treasure (I cast fools gold on the poops buhahahahahah). But apparently the smell doesn't get masked and bob quickly called out for the guards. Naturally they were not on lunch break and promptly arrived to rearrest me. I went on to brag about my value and worth, they responded by striping me naked(obviously trying to make sure the goods were top shelf). The angry one told them to execute me as I flexed my butt for them. I calmly and smoothly went invisible and executed my amazing acrobatic skills to swiftly dodge any attempt to stab me with sharp spears. Smooth and amazing as I am... still locked in a cell naked with these guys and I'm still injured from those lashings. In retrospect I should have enjoyed the break from fighting and learned a few spells . That being said 2/5 stars for this dungeon. Would not recommend. Dear lord of Chaos above, I your humble servant pray that you help me to find a way to escape unscathed, while still reaping the glorious works of Chaos in your name. Disorder and ruckus upon you o'lord.

To be continued…

Treasure

For reference: 200 cp = 20 sp = 2 ep = 1 gp = 1/5 pp A jeweled dagger (pretty, but not magical) Loose coin: 900gp Treasure: 900gp (129gp each) Current Party Funds: 8582gp

Experience

Base xp for showing up (total): 700xp
Journal entries (Tiberium, Pyrcival, Barron): 500xp (individually)
3 soldier ants: 276xp
14 worker ants: 868xp
1 troll: 572xp
1 larva: 210xp
10 stirges: 230xp
Treasure XP: 900xp
Group Total: 3756xp (537xp each)

Roleplaying moments and quotables

Half-Smurf: enough said... and speaking of, aren't smurfs really just blue, animated lawn gnomes?

Dangling Threads of Fate

Thic Duc was paralyzed during the battle and abducted. At the last moment, Barron's last spell misfired, and he swapped places with Thic Duc
The princess has been kidnapped!
While Barron was being held in captivity, other prisoners reported seeing someone who may be the Princess
Warin owes the church a lot of money for his restoration spell
How to invest your ill-gotten gains...