[This week's session saw the group decimated by illness and misfortune. Paul was down with the 'flu and couldn't make it, Gord has "odd enzymes in his blood" apparently and may have to (gasp) give up alcohol, Aimo broke his glasses on the way and couldn't read dice or the maps (unless they were stuck on his nose) and had to go early anyway because his family fell ill, and the DM was still suffering from the world-class headache he had the day before. Allan was the only one not affected, and I caught him looking worried.
So we didn't get very far and finished early...]

Rivers and Ropers

(Khundrakar, 21^st September, 1600)

[28] Descending to the "missed" level referred to on the map as "the Sinkhole", the travellers found themselves in a large cavern, with a noisy waterfall spilling down the northwest wall into a deep pool. The rocky walls glistened with spray, and a weird array of colourful minerals and strange lichens lent an unearthly beauty to the spot. Another stream ran from the pool at the base of the falls, and a natural passage headed in that direction. A set of narrow stairs cut into the rock upward to the north, and two old wooden doors stood in a wall of dressed stone to the east.

Map of the Sinkhole

Meanwhile, Hildraft had turned his attention to the doors at the eastern side of the cavern. Examination revealed that both had swollen badly in the damp atmosphere, jamming hopelessly in their frames, so Surya chose one and cheerfully bashed it open.

[30] Revealed was a low-vaulted chamber of dressed stone 30' wide and about as long. Two open archways in the far wall showed a similar room beyond, and probably another past that. The rooms were filled with what appeared to be rotten food stocks; barrels of salt meat gone bad, sacks of flour or grain covered in russet-coloured mould, tuns of cider reeking of vinegar. The room stank of rot, and the floor under the first archway gleamed wetly in the light of the Blade of the Sun.

This was by no means discouraging; the party was well aware of the fact that Sack's enchanted elven knives could transform many of these ingredients into wholesome and nourishing meals - especially in conjunction with the aforementioned fish. Carefully, they moved into the room, and then into the second one through the northern arch.

As they reached the centre of the second room, an overwhelming sense of "something not right" came over Sack. Looking around, he realized that, under the piles of junk scattered around the room, almost all the floor was shiny and not-quite-stonelike. Looking back, he saw this effect was moving, flowing across the floor of the archway to block their exit. Following his gaze, Hildraft cursed, and barked out the warning "Grey Ooze!"

To get out of the rooms was the party's one thought. Forming into a tight wedge, they charged for the rapidly-closing arch, slashing out from all sides at the grey, slimy pseudopods that the ooze extended to try and capture them. Blades flashed and gobbets of vile stuff spattered in all directions, and the group broke through into the first store-room, and then into the clear cavern beyond.

A hissing, bubbling noise drew everyone's attention to Surya's left-hand sword. Twisting and smoking like a twig in a fireplace, it sizzled and dissolved, crumbling into wet dust as he hastily dropped it. Instantly, there was a frenzied session of scraping weapons clean against the walls, and no more equipment was lost.

Deciding to sacrifice the supplies, Kobort invoked the magic, and sent a Fireball in through the open door. Confined in the storerooms, the magical eruption roasted the ooze - and the supplies - in a quite satisfactory way.

Following the passage out of the cavern to the south led to a long, narrow cavern half-filled with a powerful underground river, racing along at a breakneck pace. The chamber was about 20-30' in length, with a narrow ledge overlooking one side of the river. A bridge of stone spanned the river, leading to a larger ledge on the south side. It looked as if the southern ledge might follow the river some distance to the east.

Given recent experience with bridges, the travellers were very nervous of this one, checking it out with some care before venturing over. [29] In point of fact, it proved solid and safe, and they progressed to the far side of the river, and investigated the exit to the south of the cavern.

[32] A short flight of stone steps led down to another wooden door; but this one was standing half-open. Dark, stagnant water stood 5' deep on the landing at the base of the steps and in the doorway, presumably filling the room beyond as well.

Surya and Kobort went to ivestigate, while Sack lowered his sword into the murky water and increased its' luminescence. The sorcerer, clinging to the ceiling only inches above the surface of the water, called back that he was sure he could see metal glinting on the bottom.

Surya went back through the passage-ways until he located a nice firm dry door. This he ripped off its' hinges, and floated on the surface of the noisome pool as a makeshift boat. Then he stripped off his armour, and waded reluctantly into the stagnant water.

Pushing his float ahead of himself, he sloshed across the room, feeling with his feet. At around the point indicated by Kobort, he began to feel something on the bottom. It felt like bones, and small moving bits of metal. He dived, and came up with a handful of mail rings.

Several subsequent dives brought up two potions, a small purse of coins, and a longsword, clearly another magical weapon looted from Durgeddin's stocks by the unfortunate orc warrior. He handed these off to Kobort for identification and climbed out.

[33] Working down the cave, the group passed through a narrow passage and into another one. A ledge above the river continued east for 60', leading to a door, while the river rushed to the right, seperating them from a ledge on the southern side. Like all the caves they had been in, this one was dotted with stalagmites and stalactites.

Hildraft's eyes were drawn to the river's edge, on the far side near the other ledge. One of the ubiquitous cave fish was there, but it seemed to be caught on something; some sort of tendril or ...strand...

At the moment he realized that the strand led up and joined onto the largest of the stalagmites, a pair of hot, red eyes snapped open on the front of it, and a wide, toothy maw gaped open to bellow "Aha! Dinner has arrived!" Abruptly the air was full of snaky tentacles, thin strands shooting out from the creature and grappling for the party, trying to drag them into the river.

Kobort had recently acquired a new spell to play with; he wasn't selfish - he let the Roper have the whole benefit. A massive lightning bolt tore across the cave, blasting a great shower of rock and rubble into the pool. The Roper roared in pain, and lashed out with its' tentacles, grabbing Surya around the waist.

He swung his sword - perilously close to himself - and hacked at the tentacle, severing it in a shower of green blood. The others immediately barraged the creature with arrows and bolts, and savagely attacked the strands that came within reach. Unprepared for such well-wrapped viands, the Roper withdrew its' remaining strands, and turned, attempting to retreat across the ledge towards a crack in the rock. Another flight of arrows thudded into its' back, and it keeled over forwards, groaning and bleeding.

Surya was delegated to go investigate, so he took the Cloak and crawled over the ceiling to the ledge. Sack's wilderness knowledge had furnished the detail that Ropers tend to eat their victims posessions as well as their bodies, so any treasure would be inside the creature. This being the case, the Tellaran hacked the corpse to bits, discovering a rather appealing ring and some gold. He slipped the ring on, pending Kobort's discovery of what it was, and came back.

Opening the door at the north end of the cave, the band found a room, with a small corridor area set off from the rest by floor-to-ceiling iron bars - cells. On the floor of the furthest one was a skeleton, dwarvish, lying in the remains of what had once been splendid half-plate armour.

Surya grinned; here was a chance to obtain some information. Holding the Sword of the Dead Legions out over the corpse, he concentrated his will and dragged the dead dwarf's spirit back from beyond the grave. The body shifted and, without becoming any less decayed, somehow seemed to take on some semblence of life, or unlife. Groaning in misery, the dwarf begged Surya to ask what he would and then let her die.

Mercilessly, he questioned her, demanding what was in the levels below (she didn't know, the dwarves had never utilized the lower caves) and where Mergil was stored. She was unwilling to answer this, but Surya combined an explanation of their intention to use it against the Dragon with a tightening of his will, and she capitulated. She told them all about the secret cabinet in Durgeddin's quarters.

Exasperated, Surya lowered the sword and let the tortured spirit go. He turned, to be confronted by an annoyed Hildraft. White with anger, the dwarf confronted the Tellaran, letting him know in no uncertain terms that, while he had no objection to using the Sword's powers to interrogate orcs and such scum, there was no way he was going to tolerate such torture being visited on his fellow dwarves. Surya shrugged vague acquiescence, and turned away.

Click here for the details of the loot gathered.