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June 20, 2005

Rooftop Battle

Tyan's Journal

Regaining our composure from the rooftop battle, I took the time to reflect on the recent goings on. We had been greeted by a trio plus one from the same town that lost those men in the caravan attack. I won’t go into why the attack was successful at this time, sufficed to say that with more thought on someone’s behalf, there would have been more of the caravan to survive.

Anyway, I took the opportunity to convinced these young lads to join in our mission. Well, that was not the words I used, but it was for a good cause, and they would have a chance to get revenge on those who ordered the attack on the caravan. And, technically there was a chance that a member of the caravan had been taken here. I had no evidence to the contrary. And we could use the extra help.

Never mind that, the four of them were happy to help. Although the elves did take an interest in one who seemed to them at least to be a Zhent. And by denying that he was one just made them believe it even more.

As the party discussed the possible Zhent identity for far too long, I asked the other three new fellows to sneak down to the castle to help me scout. I don’t remember telling them all about the giants and ogre mage, but I do remember telling them about the orcs. Or was it the hobgoblins I told them about?

Anyway, they had enough information to be happy to help. Well, we reached the building on our side of the river without any problem. In fact we easily climbed to the roof and had a chance to look about at our situation. The building on this side, while looking worse for wear, was in fact quite sturdy. It had in its past at least one other floor, as did its counterpart across the river. Yet time nor battle have done enough to prevent them being used as a stronghold.

As I thought about our situation the rest of the group arrived from the camp. I guess they decided not to let us have all the fun. After some debate on what the situation was, and with some added information from the cleric, we had a better picture of the situation. Glitch says to trust her, but I have been lied to by too many clerics.

The party looked for a way into the building, other than the hole from the night before, or the front door. I was going to argue more for the front door when Glitch mentioned that he could get in ahead of us and scout. This idea was met well with the group and we searched for a place to sneak the adventurous rat in.

Soon was found what was previously a stairwell that someone had taken the chance to fill with boulders. Glitch easily slid his way in and found two giants waiting with large clubs. The giants were hiding, well, as well as two giants can hide, and watching the ceiling where we were. I called Glitch back after he looked around a bit and we began forming another plan.

Deitricha and I figured out a way to combine our spells to get us across the river and to the roof of the opposite building. We tied a rope to all of us for precaution, then I lifted the party into the air with a scroll I was saving for just such an emergency. Deitricha then cast a spell to make her fly across to the other building, with us in tow.

Once on the other building we scouted once again for a way in. And to the credit of our enemy, they had clogged this building’s stairway with boulders just as well as the other. With a snicker Glitch snuck in again. This time there were no giants at the bottom, instead it was a small 10’ by 10’ room with one door. Glitch snuck over and tried to peek through the crack under the door. In a flash of confusion that quite disoriented both Glitch and me, a spell was triggered and Glitch was teleported to a prison cell.

This will not do, I thought. I retrieved a wand from my backpack that Theona had given me days before and began casting against the floor below me. The next few moments came all at once, I created a large hole and saw movement below. Not wanting to react second I cast a sphere of electricity into the hole. Mind you, most creatures do not survive this spell, most creatures except for the hydra below. It was as I backed up from the opening that the party yelled they were being attacked, something about giants and displacer beasts. And I wanted to help them, really, except the ogre mage that landed behind me and cleaved me nearly in two got the highest priority.

Quickly I raised a globe of darkness and moved slightly away from the ogre mage. Soon I felt the wind of a great swing that was far too close for comfort. I could hear the cries for help from my comrades as their end of the fight turned badly on them. Doing my best to hold my innards in, I began casting my most potent spells at the area I thought the ogre mage to be. Running low on spells and realizing that there were now less calls for help then before I decided that even if the ogre mage cuts me down when I leave the globe of darkness, I had to try and help my friends.

I stepped out to see all four of the people that joined us this morning were down and I didn’t know if they could be saved. Areon was carrying a limp Theona and Deitricha was standing up against two giants and two displacers. I cast my last sphere of electricity where it could do the most damage, killing one of each along with a couple of orcs that I didn’t notice.

It was then that the ogre mage came at me again, and by some miracle its great swing missed me. Areon apparently put Theona down and raced to my aid while Deitricha and the now-mobile Theona fought off the others. Somehow Areon and I finally killed the huge foe. When we once again could look to the others there was just one giant left, and he was running. I summoned a celestial bird to attack it while Areon and the now-standing, and last-surviving member from the town, Ebin launched arrows at it.

As we watch the giant run off into the hills, I was once again wondering how I was going to get Glitch back.

Posted by Jim at 18:47 | Tyan’s Journal

Saving Glitch

Tyan's Journal

Having won the roof and once again being able to concentrate on my dearest friend Glitch, I informed the party that I could drop us all safely to the bridge bellow and we could enter from there. Someone asked about the hole I made, and what was in there, but I could not be bothered by such things while seeking my friend.

We made our way down and through the door without a problem. The next door was found to be trapped, good thing we have a thief to disarm it. Oh yes, she says she is not a thief, but she sure seems to know her way around a set of thieves’ tools for not being a thief.

Theona opened the second door and we made our way to a set of jail cells. I called to my friend as we knocked on each door. In the last of five, Glitch called out that he was inside. Theona, once again with thieves’ tools, opened the door and let him out. It was so good to see him again. After checking him out for any injuries and giving him a good scolding for getting himself into danger, all of which he was happy to endure, Glitch climbed into my backpack to find his favorite treats.

That being done, we moved on to find a room of sarcophaguses. This seemed to match the cleric’s dream, and proves to us that we are on the right track. We opened each one, ready to battle, only to find dried husks of which were of no danger to us. I then tried listening to the walls to see if I could tell which room had the hydra. After a few questions from the party I realized that I had not told them about the beast. I could see the spirits of the group weaken as I mentioned that I had seen at least five heads for sure, but there may have been more.

A bit more somber we headed out to check for other rooms and the tiger statue that brought us here in the first place. We found a door that when we listened to it, it sounded as if a great beast was moving inside. Being easy to figure, we found the hydra.

To my amazement Glitch once again volunteered to go and take a look. I agreed and set him on the floor, and he bravely climbed under the door. He informed me once under that there was a few doors on the left and one big one on the right. And he even went as far to take a good look at the hydra to confirm it was there. Having exceeded the bravery of several rat generations he came back and I gave him more treats.

I explained to the party that I could go up on the roof and get the hydra’s attention, then signal Glitch to signal them that it was safe to go through and attack it from behind. That was the plan. I got to the roof and was about to cast when I heard Glitch laughing. This is never a good thing. I quickly reached the hole and fired off a spell to try and help, but Ebin had already gone too far and gotten all of the hydra’s attention.

The rest of the party tried to help in what I can only call some of the bravest and stupidest maneuvers I have ever seen. And some were both at the same time. The next thing I know Theona had gotten herself in a corner, separated from the party, Ebin was hiding in the hall, and the hydra was leaving his room to go after him. I used on of my favorite spells, feather fall, to jump through the hole and land behind the hydra. Adding yet another brave yet stupid thing to the list. As my luck would have it, the hydra was more concerned with the three in the hall than me casting spells into its backside. Theona took the opportunity to go and open the door that the hydra was protecting, though she did seem a bit pale when I caught up to her.

The hydra was finally slain, but to add insult to injury the hydra died blocking the passage. My comrades had to go climb up the roof on the outside and then climb down from the ceiling through the hole to join us.

It was then that Theona explained that the next room contained a sarcophagus the size of a giant. Again, an easy one to put together, big vampire, very bad, only a few hours of sun left too. We went up to the roof and made another hole, and did everything we could to break the sarcophagus open, but as the night approached, valor was set aside for common sense, and we retreated to the camp of the previous night up on the hill.

Posted by Jim at 19:18 | Tyan’s Journal