The party continued down the stairs. They enter a room where a waterfall gushes out of the wall. The head down the left (Northeast) passage.
It opens up to a room that has a large stone bench against a wall. In the center of the room, nests of moss and a fire pit with coals still glowing. Not far from the bench are two chests by a pile of skulls.
As Henry approaches, an eye inside the skull opens.
Roll Initiative
8 lizardfolk jump out of the bones, and one large one landing behind them.
Thok tried to speak with them. "Gary said to clear out."
"I...hate GARY."
Menelwen turned, trying to use Chromatic orb on the one behind her. She missed. He cracked his neck and stared straight at her.
Luca jumped from Henry's shoulder, turning into his large tiger form.
Henry used Burning Hands.
A familiar sensation washed over Thok as his armor heated up. Again.
Drexa, the lizard king who was behind the party with his sights on Menelwen, attacks! The first hit misses, but the second doesn't. She falls unconscious.
Thok took advantage of that attack to hit him in turn.
The bulk of the lizard forces surround Henry and Luca. They took several swings at the tiger.
Vega placed the flaming sphere behind the lizard closest to them, but in a way that he wouldn't damage his allies.
Thok caught a glimpse of the shaman who was messing with his armor. He was hiding in the bones...
Henry saw Thok running that direction. Clearly he was coming to save Henry. Then he veered off towards the bones. Thok wailed on the pile of bones, spending his action surge to kill the shaman. Then with an attack still remaining, he threw a javelin at one of the lizards attacking Luca.
Theamen begins to sing, attacking twice at Drexa, laying down a smite.
Luca whirls on his opponents, tearing one of their throats out.
Menelwen manages to come to with Theamen standing over her, holding back the lizard.
Henry cries out for someone to heal him but attacks with his short sword.
Drexa failed his dex save against Vega's Flaming sphere. He pivots,stepping on Menelwen's wound. He shoves his trident at Theamen who flips the weapon, parrying every attack to get him off of her.
Thok keeps attacking the Lizards around Luca.
The Lizards attack Henry, knocking him down to zero.
Theamen misses his first attack but gets the second.Between his blade and Vega's claws, they take Drexa down. Vega ripped the throat out, Theamen got the back of his neck. The head goes flying.
Vega moves his flaming sphere. Theamen grabs Menelwen and pulls her out of the path of the movement.
Luca bites (the shit) out of his enemies.
Finally up and conscious, Menelwen sends Magic Missile strikes to one of the lizards over Henry. It kills it. Theamen's song shifts as he keeps fighting.
Two enemies remain on Luca. One accidentally attacked his friend.
Vega heals Henry for 7 points and then Mass Cure Wounds on the party.
The sound of bone grinding on metal rips through the air. Thok downs one of the lizard folk and imposes himself between Henry and the other lizard.
"I hit you with the bone." Twack onto Henry's head before Thok killed it. Thok did notice the shift in Theamen's singing, wondering why he was singing such shit songs? He knew Theamen knew better songs than that.
Then Theamen crit killed one, killed the last with the pommel of his sword. And Thok decided to not say anything about the song choices.
"I can see what Vega sees in him." Henry said to Thok.
The battle having ceased, they take the loot from the chests. Thok pats a purring Luca, earning a dirty look from Henry. But everyone else saw something rare- Thok actually giving a genuine smile.
It was decided that coming down here was a bad idea...so the party heads back up with the intent on asking the Nothiks if they knew anything about Drown before they rested.
"Sell our soul just a little more, yes that's a perfect way to go to sleep." Theamen quipped.
On the way out, mist started trickling out of one of the passages near the stairs that had been passed by earlier. Along with whimpers of pain.
They head that way to save them, seeing human captives hung up on the wall. Vega heals them from distance and uses sculpt water to give them a drink.
Finally, Thok and Vega said 'fuck it' and walk in. They fall into a pit.
Thok's armor starts turning a reddish color and links fall off. An antenna appears behind him.
Enter the Rust Monster!
Thok strips off the armor, tossing it to the creature and putting on his spare. The rust monster happily nommed on it.
The captives, a sailor and two men in reddish/orange dyed furs were hung. Thok and Vega get them down, unchaining the sailor but leaving the manacles on the two while interrogating them. Vega uses Primal savagery to intimidate them. (It worked)
It seemed like they were spying for Dryflaggon, the leader of the Circle of the Scarlet Moon. Their goal was to cleanse the world with fire.
As they keep talking, Vega seems to think they have a point. Menelwen yanks on his ponytail, snapping him out of it.
The party moves on, keeping the sailor and the druids with them. The rust monster followed behind (just so happy). He keeps looking at Thok, purring at Vega's attention.
They head up the stairs, past the myrmidon and back to the Nothiks. Theamen stays outside with the prisoners and the rust monster.
Henry asks about Drown's effect on the person who attunes to it.
"Stay humble because it gives much power...but the greed...jealous Olhydra...keep them worthy...you need a drawback or it will overwhelm the user. Now...secret."
"Always alone, always teased, mocked, taken advantage of, an unwanted starving dog...starving for both attention and food...kicked and unwanted."
Henry storms out.
The Nothiks look at each other and start singing "street rat, riff raff" from Aladdin. Then they argue a bit, like an old married couple.
"We'll see you again."
"Yes yes, be..our...guest!" They start singing. Vega and Menelwen chime in, Thok dragged into the dance.
Hearing the commotion, Theamen peeked in.
As they leave, Theamen looks at Thok.
"I don't want to talk about it." Thok grumbled. Theamen whistled the tune. "What happens in the room stays in the room."
"Hm? I don't know what you're talking about." Theamen grinned, whistling.
The rust monster nuzzled Henry, trying to steal his dagger.
They leave, going to Bronzefume's room to get access to the waterway and make sure the slaves were freed. She is called for, given a gold chain they found and warned that we would be
The foldable boat is set up to bring them back out to the keep.
Henry didn't seem inclined to talk about his secret, but Thok insisted they talk about it now. But the guys didn't read Henry as well as Menelwen. It was revealed that he would eat rotten food, get things thrown at him for scavenging.
"That fact that you can overcome and be who you are proves you're strong." Thok assured him.
Henry hugged Thok.
And onwards! With Henry as a navigator. Thanks to the guidance of Menelwen and the rust monster they find their way out and around to the docks by the keep.
The keep itself is in disarray from a hasty departure of the cult members. They shrink the boat.
Henry goes to find Sasha.
"I owe you an apology."
"Yes, yes you do."
"Look...it's been a rough few days. I fought some bugbears....and cultists...I almost died....and fought...a fever dream..."
Sasha breaks, hugs him tight. She pulls him away to be taken care of.
Theamen (in protective mode after all that happened), pulled Menelwen away.
Thok and Vega find a new home for Rusty!
The Next Morning
Vega, Thok, Theamen and Menelwen sit around, trying to figure out Vega's new strength.
Henry saunters over to the table, a cocky grin on his face.
"So you got laid." Thok grinned.
"Who told you?"
"Sooo...how was it?" Menelwen asked.
"A gentlemen never tells. I mean, you two know what I mean." Henry looked at Vega and Theamen. "You're both in a relationship."
"Oh, you're with someone Vega? Good for you." Theamen smiled.
"Huh?" Henry was confused. "We won't judge you for loving another man. You can be honest."
Thok snorted.
Theamen and Menelwen exchange looks. "Have you been keeping a secret from me?"
"Nope. You would know."
"I would hope so. With the number of times I've seen it...and the number of times he's stared at you..."
"What are you talking about?!"
"Henry...sweetie." Menelwen said, catching on. "We're together."
Thok falls on the floor, laughing.
Henry gasped. "Does Vega know?"
"Thok, did you know about Henry's...misconception?" Theamen asked.
"Yeah."
"How long?"
"A week."
"But you two...at the inn! I heard you."
"Henry, what inn are you talking about?"
-flashback to the inn, Vega doing exercises in his and Theamen's room that sounds...sexual-
"Henry, you didn't mind when I was with Vega, but you care that I'm with Menny??" Theamen frowned.
"I hate you all."
Menelwen winced.
"He's a 13 year old boy, it'll blow over in a week." Theamen assured her in Elvish.
Henry snapped, having heard "She blows me every day of the week." And he tried to hit Theamen. "She's not a whore! You can't say things like that!"
"Henry, what did you hear?"
And it was revealed the depth of his misunderstanding of Elvish, stemming from the first meeting with Theamen.
Theamen sighed, giving Henry his book. "Here. It has common on one side, elvish on the other. You need to learn properly. You have me, Vega the cannibal, and Menelwen, an actual elf to teach you."
Vega, tired of the cannibal jokes wandered off. Embarrassed, Henry drinks heavily and pukes.
Theamen cleans him up, and everyone just sort of laughs. It was a relief to have some levity.
"Ah..." Menelwen chuckled, looking at Theamen. "I love you."
"Love you too dear."
A pause. It was the first time they'd ever said the words.
Thok, still on the floor and drinking heavily passed out with a smile on his face.
Henry looked at the two still there. "Do you have ink?"
"Just magic ink...why?"
"I wanna draw on his face,"
"I know he was sending word to the wardens...Thok probably has ink on him." Menelwen suggested.
Henry stole the ink from Thok's bag, Henry nearly losing his arm there. He drew the cat face on him, nearly killing Thok...
~To be continued...~
No comments:
Post a Comment