Kythorn 2, 1373, Greycastle Mine

Every now and then, especially when I am short on funds or leads on objects needing rescued, I get the urge to broaden my horizons outside of Silverymoon. Yesterday was such a day, so I headed over to the Bright Blade Brandished to see if there were any jobs for a quick bit of cash within a day’s walk of the city. I saw that human Antonio that often buys everyone drinks, and the halfling Tassar, who always seems to be around when someone is buying a round. Deitricha from Tymora’s temple was there, which I found curious, and Areon— the grim-looking wood elf that gives me the impression that he’s waiting for a fight to break out.

It just so happened that we had all come to the tavern with similar ideas— a quick job that involved getting away from the city for a few days and would pay well. We quickly decided we could work together, and headed to Lord Evendor Greycastle’s home to seal the deal.

A minor human noble, Greycastle had recently inherited a copper mine in the foothills of the Nether Mountains southeast of Silverymoon. The mines, apparently, are infested with kobolds or other similar critters. For 100 gold a piece (and anything not nailed down in the mines), we agreed to rid the place of any squatters so it could be reopened. Sounded easy enough, so we singed on the dotted line and were off.

It was a nice walk, weather-wise, though a bit chillier than in the city. The halfling managed to keep up with the taller members of the party, though he complained about our “tallness” the entire way. I noticed he eats more than the four of us “tall” people combined, and he must have grown up in a port town because he swears like a sailor. He is definitely not shy about sharing intimate details with anyone willing to listen (or can’t avoid listening).

We got to the mine right as it was growing dark out, so we figured setting up a camp outside would be better than stumbling around inside. Tassar wanted to have a campfire to cook his food on, while Areon feared it would be a beacon to whatever was occupying the mines. I suggested that Antonio just use a cantrip to heat the halfling’s meal. Antonio looked surprised at the idea— I guess he must have fire issues— but agreed to do it. The night passed uneventfully.

We are slowly learning to work together. This requires figuring out who is best at doing what. For example, I felt it natural to let Areon range ahead when we were out in the open, scouting, but when we hit the inside of the mines, I wanted to go through first to look for traps. Tassar insisted that he walk with me in case of an attack, leaving our sorcerer Antonio and cleric Deitricha in the middle. The trick is sticking to a “marching order”— as soon as there is room to spread out, we seem to do that. The first large area we came to was filled with very realistic-looking “statues” of what looked like a band of adventurers, though only one was intact with a head— the look on the face was one of pure horror.

They are too heavy to carry and I doubt that they would fetch anything in the open market.

We had the option of moving on straight ahead, or to the left or right in relation to the entrance to the mines. The majority of footprints went straight ahead, so naturally, we avoided that way and turned right, where footprints only lead away in one direction. Tassar wanted to go left, insisting that there were “elven artifacts” in that direction (he must actually listen to me when he’s drunk, since I am interested in unearthing such treasures and had mentioned it in the Bright Blade yesterday), but Deitricha suggested he was just toying with me.

So we went right, towards a large cavern festooned with webs. As Tassar and Antonio (why was he in front of me?) stood in the entrance and argued about how best to clear the area, Antonio was attacked and apparently bitten by one of the three large spiders hanging in the webs. I managed to drop one with a crossbow bolt before they could react, and we finished off the other two while Antonio crawled weakly over to be healed by our cleric, an arrow sticking from his backside.

I found two cocoons and sliced them open— two desiccated reptilian humanoids slid out— kobolds. No swag whatsoever.

I managed to stay in front of the party long enough to find and disable a tripwire. Following the wire, I came to a thunderstone— that certainly would have alerted anything in the mines to our presence! I carefully removed it and handed it to Antonio.

I lead the party over to a ladder (this place has a lot of ladders) and climbed up to peer over the top— only to be hit by a sling stone. I picked off one kobold standing on a ledge above me while my companions clambered up the ladder— they managed to finish off two more before the last routed. Darn kobolds only had their slings and stones— nothing valuable. In fact, this place doesn’t seem to have anything worth taking.

We tried to chase the kobold, but he was too fast. Unfortunately, Tassar was running ahead of me and fell into a pit. Lucky it was only a pit trap! The fact that the kobold didn’t set the trap off makes me think our halfling is carrying a lot more in his pack than I would have though him capable of carrying. Probably all food.

Once Tassar was out we followed the fleeing kobold into a long, narrow tunnel. More kobolds were pelting us with rocks from a ledge higher up, I took out one, and then slowly inched into the room to allow my friends in to help fight. I felt a sudden pain in my back, and all went dark....

Posted by Kristin on January 6, 2004, 18:59 | Theona’s Journal