Coldeven 25/Luna New: Have
arrived in Leirfjord, a port city controlled by the dreaded fisters.
Was relaxing in a local tavern, having tea and thinking on how to
best test my blossoming powers in the service of my fellows, when I
overheard a dwarf attempting to introduce himself to a motley crew
(which included more than a few elves).
The elves were being remarkably standoffish (to use a polite
term). Wondering WHY a dwarf would be going out of his way to engage
elves in conversation, I sent over an offer to buy a round of
drinks, as a greeting. One of the elves was doing card tricks and
hitting his head upon the table. The party ignored my offer, and did
not respond even when I came over to the table and extended my
greetings. The dwarf, though surly, was friendly enough. Upon
discovering that I was a sorceror and dedicated to the destruction
of evil, he informed me that he had like minded goals, and was
attempting to engage the party in the delivery of a package to keep
it out of the hands of the vile fisters. I met his patron, a decent
seeming fellow, and agreed to help.
5/26: The party has agreed to aid in the endeavor. We made our
way to the farm whereat we were to meet our contact, to deliver the
item. Woefully, we discovered that all the farmers had been slain.
As we looked about, we were attacked by thugs & an evil cleric,
who I at first thought might be a fellow sorceror. In the first few
moments I was struck by TWO crossbow bolts, but managed to survive
& get behind the barn - circling around.
I cast my spear as I rounded the barn but my aim was off, so I
charged up closer. I was fortunate enough to observe 2 new spells I
had never seen before. "Sound Burst" & "Random Action". I
attacked with my own only offensive spell (Color spray). It was only
partially effective. Though the enemy appeared affected, they merely
were blinded instead of rendered unconscious. This showed their
considerable lifeforce and strength. The dwarf did very well in the
battle, but was badly injured. I was out of spells but did manage to
get a blow in on one thug. Then I noticed the dwarf, & took a
moment to bind his wounds lest he die. The blinding effect of my
spell wore off on the last thug & he attacked me before I could
get a weapon up.
As I fell, I shouted for one of the elves to aid me, but as I lay
there disabled, he ran off to join the others fighting zombies. The
dwarf and I were at the mercy of the thugs. (Of note: he did during
this combat make an extraordinary tumbling run, the likes of which I
had never seen) As we lay helpless, the thug luckily began shooting
at the rest of the party with his crossbow. That is until the Ranger
burst through the window & finished him (& a zombie) quite
readily. The tumbler began looting bodies immediately, taking the
gear inside the house, out of sight of the rest of us. The female
elven druid very much impressed me, with a healing spell which not
only totally cured my wounds but quite invigorated me. I had a few
words with the tumbler but he was hostile and refused to shake my
hand after I had said my piece.
We regrouped in the farm house. The only one who offered to help
me bury the bodies of the farmers was the badly wounded dwarf, but I
refused his help. I interred the bodies with proper prayers to
Athena (I did notice they had been picked over) & buried the
cleric & thugs in the snow. As we were conversing, & I was
catching my breath, we heard a bizarre sound and eventually we saw a
boat carried through the skies beneath a huge bag of magic gases. It
landed & a gnome disembarked and was fairly well verified as our contact.
It was then that I was shocked again. The tumbler was promoting
that we not give the item to the contact, as he & his might
prove as evil as the fisters themselves. (We had no indication of
this and the dwarf had served with them for a number of years).
The dwarf was understandably enraged at this proposal. He did
overreact and threaten the elf but I could understand the feeling.
Eventually the elves agreed to give up the package as agreed.
Hopefully the patron will not hold this incident against us. The
tumbler was manically angry at having been threatened (as if his
proposed action did not threaten the lives of innocents everywhere)
- and he stormed out.
We returned to Leirfjord & I slept in the dwarf's quarters,
provided by his patron. I had been promised some components but am
in no hurry in this regard.
5/27: In the morning, i recamped my spells & prayed - then
went & met the party at the inn. The tumbler returned &
insisted the dwarf pay him out of his own pocket for his help in the
mission - hopefully none of the kitchen staff overheard. The dwarf
refused and the tumbler threatned to go to the fisters and betray us
- then stormed off. The dwarf retired to his quarters, & I
myself stopped & warned the patron, & bought some tools. (I
was unable to get components needed to identify some magic vials we
had found).
Later in the morning, I collected payment from the patron to
divide among the party & spoke to the tumbler. He was quite
belligerent & would not deny that he had gone to the fisters.
In the afternoon, the tumbler did arrange for a friend to be
saved from execution. But then sullied the act by keeping every last
possession the fellow owned, not even giving him a dagger or flint
& steel. Still, he was saved.
Meeting with the rest of the party at the Inn in the late
afternoon, the tumbler caused another argument. He wanted to GAMBLE
for the major sellable items. Quite aggravating ... I eventually
prevailed & sold most the items, and even the tumbler was happy
at the prices we got.
That evening we engaged in a silly but fun game called a Fish
Fly. The object being to throw totally unwieldy fish near enough to
a cage for the beastie within to reach. The tumbler won a fair
amount of cash and surprisingly shared a bit with we his fellow
contestants.
I Left & spoke to the patron. He told us of an evil dragon
cult that he wished destroyed, which actually had a dragon whelp in
it's control. The whelp was rumored to be 4 years old, and in most
our opinions unredeemable. The Monk had some reservations, which
were understandable. I learned that the druid & I share a belief
in reincarnation. She also has a mirthful laugh once she has a few
drinks in her. (I had not previously ever seen her partake of any
food or drink within the town).
5/28: The next morning, brought
up the subject of taking on the cult, but of course the tumbler
innitiated a HUGE argument wanting to keep the whelp alive. He
stated a wish to redeem it and raise it for good purposes. I myself
think perhaps the true reason may be the same as he may have had for
the package. To keep it for his own use.
A 3-day argument began in earnest, finally coming down to a vote.
The party voted to slay the dragon, unless a safe alternate was
found. At the end, I think most the party would have left the
objectors behind.
I wish to make a sad note: The tumbler has repeatedly shown no
care whatsoever that the fisters wiped out his people. And a love of
argument for it's own sake.
Growfest 2: Two days before midweek of Growfest (Godsday in these
parts) We entered the sewers in the early morning.
Chamber 1 : We slew 3 kobolds in chamber 1
Chambers 2-3 : Found numerous traps, including a pit trap. In
chamber 3 was a halforc captured alive. He made us a map of the area
& told us the area was devoted to Talona, Goddess of Disease
& Death. The Ranger & Tumbler left our company to check the
sewers outside. While they were gone, I myself was pierced by a
needle trap but the poison so far has not affected me.
Continuing to chambers 4-6 we fought some more kobolds, and
discovered some more treasure. Chamber 6 had an ominous curtain with
a hall leading to a door. We barricaded this temporarily. There were
2 other doors, one radiating cold.
I wish to make note that we have developed an effective door
opening strategy utilizing the tables in the place. We set up the
table for cover, and line up with missiles at the ready. One person
opens the door, then jumps to the side ready to attack from the
side. We attack through the doorway with xbows etc. Also the use of
a chair proves very effective to stand on & fire/cast spells
over the heads of those in front (especially the dwarf).
It was very peaceful and effective checking chambers 4-6 and
searching chamber 3. A bit of dissension again. I decided not to
argue anymore - I think the best tactic now is to say what I wish to
do. If others do not wish to join so be it. If I think not enough
will join me to the point of endangerment, I will acquiesce or sit
it out.
Just as we were about to open another door, the Ranger &
Tumbler rejoined the party. As we conversed, some pale beasts
charged to attack in a berserk fashion. We, having readied, struck
the 1st with a volley of missiles as soon as the door opened. It
survived, showing these creatures were VERY strong.
The Ranger bravely stepped in front of me, intercepting an attack
and wounded the first creature. He was struck in turn by the beast
& felled in one massive blow - these things were incredibly
strong. We managed to fell the first creature, and the 2nd stepped
up and quickly dropped the monk.
The
attack again showed massive strength. I pulled him out of the fray.
The dwarf stepped up and engaged in combat. Though he was struck and
badly injured, he stood his ground. The 2nd beast was dropped. We
quickly looted the place & retreated with the wounded. I
insisted on tidying up before we left.
After getting back to Leirfjord, we split the loot (we decided to
split evenly though for short times a few of our members were absent
- which works well for me ... the fighters etc needing more cash for
the purposes of armoring, etc. I esp. realized the importance of
fighter allies in this last encounter.
The monk appears to be trying to assume a leadership role. I wish
him luck. The party does need such. In the dividing of the loot, we
decided that money from most weapons captured & sold, and the
odd coins would be put into a party fund.
Financially, this venture went very well. I am equipped to the
limits of my needs. I can cast that spell I have been saving for
soon, if I so decide, and I see no reason not to. I think an owl
would be an exceeding fine choice. And a sign of respect for Athena.
--Another note: ZERO trouble from any party members. We may finally
be forming into a true party.
On a persona note, I have been meditating on the Athenian
religion. Though I have the greatest respect for her church, I have
some personal beliefs which do not coincide precisely with those of
her church. I am thinking of taking up theology, seeing that people
more now than ever need spiritual guidance. I have been
comtemplating Lathander - God of Beginnings (Dawn, Spring, Journeys,
Birth, etc). I find no conflict of interest between the Respect for
Knowledge that the Athenians espouse & the more close to heart
teachings of the followers of Lathander.
Dawn on Godsday is the midday of Growfest, a Celebration of
Spring, and the alignment of Luna half & Celene full moons.
* Note to self: Suggest to the Tumbler to purchase a bow -
preferably a longbow. I will offer to make him one at reduced price
if he wishes. His attitude has made a wondrous turnabout - perhaps
he is getting over his dislike of the dwarf & I. I have heard
elves take a long time to form bonds.
1 week rest: Growfest/4 was the Growfest Midweek celebration - I
spent extra time contemplating the teachings of Lathander. It was a
joy seeing so many people celebrating the re-birth of spring. It
fires the soul with possibility. The remaining days til the party
healed, I spent in contemplation & volunteering around town. I
checked the Magincia - it is a Mages guild with excellent benefits,
but VERY expensive.
Planting/12: The party is finally healed. I am very impressed at
the fortitude of our warrior types - I am glad they recovered from
their wounds. I spoke to the Elf about getting a bow and he turned
me down. He seems to have an antipathy to the idea for some reason.
Perhaps trouble in a previous incarnation.
We regrouped, and re-entered the
sewer dungeon. It was vacated - totally barren. The Temple was a
sham, the statues and altar were fakes ... though well done. I
suspect the whole dragon whelp thing here was a sham too, perhaps
the patron was fed misinformation purposely.
_________________________________________________
The druid informed us of what she referred to as a "cottage"
which seemed to eminate cold. We thought perhaps the whelp, if it
existed, had been taken to this building.
We journeyed to the cottage & it turned out to be an
incredibly mammoth building. An ice spider was spied in one of the
ruined towers which is inspiring me to think perhaps this Dragon
cult is really a faction of the Church of Auril ... the only church
in town.
We are preparing to enter the bldg - tracks of Ratmen have been
detected. The druid stated she killed one when she discovered the
place.
I hope that once we clear the site (Lathander bless our new
endeavor) that we might set up a stronghold - in easy ride/march to
town but far enough away so we not under the direct view of the
Fisters. I hope we may use the resources at the farm to rebuild the
place.
Entered the "Cottage": the 1st room was in poor shape with a
partially collapsed ceiling. Barren of life except for the sounds of
rats moving. There were a series of 3 doors : 2 to the north and 1
to the east. The East door opened inward so I blocked this with a
piece of timber. The monk proceded to again take a leading role,
attempting to organize the door opening but poor communication
skills hampered the effort.
We basically resumed the same order we had previously been
assuming. But again, the effort was commendable. The NW door
entering into another damaged room, again with rat sounds. The NE
lead to a marvelous discovery - a study. A skull in the room
radiated magic. This room had additional door N and E. We blocked
the N door with the furniture and opened the E door. In the room was
a LIBRARY. One book and a set of platemail radiated magic.
As the elf entered the room 1st and the platemail animated and
attacked, centering on him. The elf was injured, but the monk hung
back and used an unusual move upon the creation. He lassoed it and
yanked it off it's feet (though strong I suspect it did not weigh
much). I and the elf called for the druid for healing for him , but
she hung back in the previous room. The dwarf smashed the skull in
the preceding room - a move I would not have promoted and there was
a blast, but not anything fatal.
The elf was enraged that the druid had not rushed to heal him, a
decision which confused me also. I think perhaps her tolerance for
his peculiar brand of chaos had finally reached it's limit. His
indifference of the slaughter of his people? When he went to the
fisters (or threatened to)? Perhaps some religious offense? But she
declined to offer healing. He became deeply offended saying he could
not trust her. (Indeed, he of all people should realize what a
disconcerting feeling this generates. Perhaps she was trying to
teach him a lesson.)
He demanded she turn over a sacred
book of her order, which he had helped to recover but for which he
had yet to recieve payment. Again, greed & power hunger.
Though the knowledge of the book is of interest. It recalls to
memory the punishment of the gnome, one of whose crimes was said to
be the burglary of the house of Scarza .
The tumbler decided then and there to break company with the
party. The monk likewise understood the elf's reasoning and left.
I feel bad for feeling this way but the sense of poetic justice
& irony in that the tumbler left due to distrust of party
members. As one who could surely be high priest of the goddess
Discord, he should not be so discerning. He & I personally left
on good terms and I wish him well & enlightenment in his future
and future incarnations. And also to the monk - in whom I am less
concerned about.
We searched the next room, and recovered some silver items. There
was a magical bell which we left alone. There was a hole in the roof
here.
We have made a good amount of booty, and perhaps we should return
to town. If we travel through the night we should get there (It is
under 5 miles away).
--- Booty: Magical Book, books, silver items, platemail.
The books and furniture appear to be mostly ruined or of little
value. We shall have to go through them upon our return. I took a
mundane tome off the shelves & covered it with a piece of linen.
A feeble effort, but perhaps the inhabitants would not realize the
book was gone. We then returned to town and spent a bit of time
there. We met a very garulous fellow who actually came to US. My
comrades again were speaking in overly loud tones in the Inn, and
the fellow had over- heard us speaking of the ratmen. The fellow
seems good enough but a bit of a fast talk artist, so he will have
to be watched. He claimed to have connections in everything from
nobility to the black market. Perhaps this will pan out, but he will
realize these connections are not necessary to be in our party.
Friendship, goodness & loyalty are far more important.
Even pure neutrals must realize that evil has such a stranglehold
in this area. I shall have to speak to the druid a bit more &
find out her personal philosophy. I find dedication to good in no
way in in conflict with the balance of nature. (Though to myself
personally sentient souls take precedent) I of course believe in
keeping nature strong, for it is the basis of life. Replanting, etc
is vital to keeping the circle of life strong - not to mention the
beauty of nature. But I digress ....
The new man appeared to see us as a prosperous, successful party
& wished to join us. It is good that we presented such an
appearance. The druid actually ate a small amount of food at the
Inn, which surprised me. Anyway, the new man was inducted into our
party, though he tried to fasttalk an excessive share from the
party. The druid mended the armor, and I was privy to observe the
spell.
The next day Fasttalk took one of our
party members to a contact to get a good price on the armor. We got
an EXCELLENT price, far more than I thought we would (then again,
what do I know about metal armors? (joke) My share of the monies
will be enough to cast my summon familiar and have some coin left
over as well (not that I need much).
Fasttalk apparently DOES have some contacts - though I am sure he
exaggerates to appear more vital to the party. I purchased a
wheelbarrow, and we journeyed back out to the "Cottage" (Amazing
that divvying the treasure went so smoothly after our previous
fiascos.) I also dropped off the book at the Community Chest, &
saw that the Tumbler's items were gone. I notified the patron of our
break in company. I purchased a silver dagger, & the druid
bought the dwarf one.
Note - the dwarf patted the serving girl on her behind & she
did not appear offended
We re-entered the Cottage about noon. We had little incident
though the ranger detected there had been movement and tracks
through the area. We entered the building and made our way to the
study area - looking under the rug I noticed a loose stone. Under it
we discovered a bag with some vials & gold. The new man appeared
skilled at checking for traps, etc, claiming a locksmith relative.
He did very well and integrated into our door opening procedure with
almost ZERO argument or problem. We are getting this down to almost
a science. We found a library south of the study full of moldy
books, but in there we did find another of the druid's holy books.
The new man within the dungeon setting was very professional. Gone
was the fasttalk & he was very competent. He had the elf's
skills without the horrid arguing.
Within the library the new man, the locksmith, discovered a
surviving book ... but it had a trap on it. There was a sharp edge
and he cut himself on it. It was envenomed and he fell faint but the
druid managed to contain the effect and he regained consciousness.
He still did not look well but did not complain. The druid gave him
a berry which seemed to help. I wonder if she enchants them somehow.
We then checked the room north of the dining hall. It was a kitchen
and 2 ratmen were in there, the foul things butchering the body of
an elf. We had opened the door in formation, and the creatures were
dispatched in amazingly expedient manner. They appeared vulnerable
to normal weapons, perhaps they are lesser lycanthropes or the
legends of silver weapons being needed are just stories. Time will
tell.
The druid thought it best to behead elf's body, a wise precaution
- but gruesome. The dwarf did the deed for her. We discoverd two
pantries off the kitchen - one with a wine rack & about a dozen
intact bottles. The 2nd pantry contained mixed items including some
barrels. There is a door remaining to the north of the kitchen. We
took a breather, and I estimate we still have only less than half
the building clear. I think with a liberal amount of work, the
library could be converted into a bunk room... & one of the
pantries a room for the druid and that huge pet of hers.
This building has vast potential, either as a lair for us or as
an asset usable by our allies. The towers offer emergency exits
while being fairly defendable - with repair of course.
The other party members finished
checking the pantries. We took the body of the elf outside and
buried him. Proper prayer & meditation will be in order, time
permitting. We were headed back into the Cottage on our way to check
the north door off the kitchen when we heard a noise near the
entrance. We investigated and discovered a female monk who had 'been
sent' here. She proclaimed to be a follower of the goddess Athena,
of whom I myself am also, with Lathander taking only slight
precedence in my life. She quickly joined us in resuming the
cleansing of this building, with only a tiny bit less ease merging
with our party than the locksmith had.
We went north and discovered an east-west corridor with doors at
either end. The eastern door ended in what must be assumed the
northeast tower. We decided to search the west door first & it
emptied into a huge ballroom in a pitiful state of disrepair. We
heard rats moving about and I summoned a 'Fiery Friend' to scare
them out. Instead, we scared up a huge oozing monstrousity, very
blockish in nature and 1 1/2 times the height of a man in depth,
width & height. It attacked with a pseudopod appendage and the
ranger was struck taking great damage & also the wound burned
with an acidic secretion. We retreated from the thing, and engaged
in a vigorous debate on how best to kill the thing. I favored luring
it outside & attacking it in the open, possibly using fire. The
druid especially objected to the danger of flame in the forest, so
we attempted a fairly frontal assault.
The assault went fairly well, the party attacking this time via
the south door to the ballroom, which corresponded to the north door
in the room which had held the human skull. The druid engaged the
thing in hand to hand combat, while the rest of us attacked with
long range weapons. The Ranger used fire to attack the it, &
several of the party members used vinegar to drive the thing back
against a wall. I shall have to research this weakness & find
out if it is common of all oozelike creatures. The creature only
landed one blow upon the druid, dealing impressive damage but not
enough. Numerous missiles were required to slay the huge thing and
upon it's death it exploded, showering ooze and gelantinous mass
about the room. I, for one, am glad I was far enough back not to be
deluged with the substance.
I sincerely wish to speak more to the lady monk & worshipper
of blessed Athena. I think perhaps we should return back to town for
a bit. With that creature blocking the only entrance to the west
wing of the Cottage, I suspect there are no cultists in that area -
and so, presumably, no dragon whelp (if there ever was one). In
town, we should identify the potions we found. We had also found a
magic ring in the rubble of the ballroom. 2 huge chandeliers in the
room look valuable, but I would not recommend walking under them.
All I am sure of is that the ballroom is going to be a major pain to
clean now.
After a short breather, we went on into the west hall. We found 2
doors into the southwest corner of the house. The first was a store
room with unfortunately ruined mystical supplies. It had a door
leading south, which we carefully opened and found 3 more ratmen ...
one a leader type and all well armed. The dwarf was the 1st to
attack - with a magnificent xbow shot to the leader. Our party
followed through, dealing massive destruction upon the things and
quickly made short work of them with little injury to ourselves. The
monk again worked very well with the party.
A few notes: the room was icy cold
and a sheet of ice covered the floor. A store room was open it.
discovered with more bodies of vary- ing races, even what might have
been an elven horse. They appeared fated for the ratmen's dinner
table. I must say I was wrong about the cube keeping this part of
the building clear of intelligent inhabitants - (fetid but
intelligent). Also noted was the difficulty in entering a door
approached by a narrow hall. Our usual tactic did not work well. I
also think we need to work out hand gestures for the silent approach
of areas.
The druid was notably irritable - but had numerous reasons to be.
The elf body which had been butchered. Getting covered in most
heinous amounts of ooze when the cube creature exploded upon dying.
These to name a few.
We searched the last remaining room - a store room with a ravaged
bed and a desk. Under the desk we found an iron chest but were
unable to move it. (Some apologies may be due to me from those
thinking the wheelbarrow was a bad idea.) Other weapons and loot was
found. All that is left now are the two towers and what I presume is
a hallway between them (especially considering the door in the
dining hall).
One thing more: in the 2nd store room was a giant beetle spitting
acid under the bed. The dwarf jumped on the bed, stabbing through
the mattress at the it. He looked totally ridiculous and kept
missing. I tried not to laugh as I know how prideful dwarves can be
(though our friend seems to have a fairly healthy sense of humor).
Last Note: The party needs a bath
In the ice room, the party spent a long time examining a magic
ice sword and ice pedestal. The magicks seemed linked. We decided to
shut the pedestal and the sword up in the small room in which we had
discovered the frozen bodies. I cleaned the one store room for a
place to sleep. We then checked out the northeast tower. The battle
went well but again showed me the difficulty in approaching a room
from a narrow hall.
We slew 3 zombies and another undead which I was not sure what it
was. During the battle, the monk made an ... eye catching tumbling
run.
The locksmith was searching one of the coffins when he tripped a
trap, and gas flooded the room. We backed out quickly - and everyone
appeared to escape harm. I myself made my way out of the room via
the north-south hallway between the two hallways and escaped via the
east door of the dining hall. We waited a bit and decided to let the
gas out to dissipate.
I went to the east door and opened it, and there stood the
undead, healed and on the attack. (Immediately following the first
battle with the undead, I had suggested we behead the undead &
was guffawed. Next time I will follow my instincts. Perhaps the
thought itself was inspired by my link to the draconic
consciousness.)
While I was dumbfounded, the zombie
swung at me and missed. I recalled our initial battle with them in
which one zombie kept smashing his own hand into the stone wall or
missing and hitting it's fellow. Perhaps this was the the same one.
In short, it missed - even though I was caught totally Slackjawed
and flatfooted (Well, the flatfooted part doesn't make too much
difference with me, as an old sparring partner used to tell me.) The
party rushed up before I was even able to take a step back, and made
short work of the zombie and it's fellows. The Ranger circled about,
and fought the remaining undead - possibly a ghoul (I heard they
bite, and the Ranger was indeed bitten but did not so far seem to
suffer any long term effects.)
I immediately this time beheaded the undead and we hauled their
bodies out. We began searching their coffins and found some good
treasure. The locksmith tripped an acid trap while I, wishing to do
my part, tripped a fire trap. Some scrolls were lost.
Notes : The monk seems to have an irrepressible sense of humor
which is very refreshing, and the druid is lightening up.
Athena forgive my foolishness, with whatever knowledge they might
have possessed. From now on I will try to stick to my place, and let
the warriors fight, and let the nimble fingered open caches we may
come across. The monk, even though hurt and barely able to walk,
exhibited a grand and remarkable sense of humor again. We returned
to town, and bathed and rested. The druid left to sleep in the
woods. She was still grumpy, though she looked a bit pleased
whenever the holy book was mentioned.
In the morning at breakfast the locksmith told a wondrous tale of
his family's prophecy & a key which opened a chest, filled with
that which might fulfill his quest. This was interesting, though of
course it IS possible that he FOUND the key in the Cottage, and
invented the tale to encourage our interest. NOT that this is the
case - Fates forbid that I should imply such a thing. But it IS a
possiblity.
We opened the chest & I detected magic. After checking, we
have a fair number of items that need identification & potions
that need to be identified. We are still debating how to divide the
loot. A major point is how to divide the monies from the sale of the
armor, as our 2 newest members were not along at the time. I have no
deep interest in money myself, but DO need to pay my guild fee &
buy components to summon my familiar.
After the identifying is done and I have time to study the magic
book, we must decide whether or not to go back immediately &
kill the spider. The monk said she thought she heard music in the
spider's room. So it should not be taken as stony fact that it IS a
spider & if it is, that nothing else is there. Also we should
check with the patron & the status on the farm. And of course
make a more thorough search of the books.
Back in town : I took the time to study the wizard book. Though
rather lacking in comparison to the tomes of my father, it was
interesting. I chose to center my studies on enchantment. I realize
the restrictions of this, and have forbade myself learning illusion.
I joined the Sorceror's guild & identified the party's potions -
which went very well.
The guild identified the party's
magic items. We regathered our forces & went back to the
Cottage. It was empty: even the spider had vacated. (Migrating to
colder climes?) The 'music' the monk heard was the wind blowing
through it's old webs. roof was totally caved in and ruined.
There was a humorous incident where I noticed the dwarf checking
out the lower musculature of the monk & I myself, having
excellent eyes & good taste, also took a look. We were caught in
the act & laughed at. But she did not appear angry. We tried the
bell in the dining hall and it summoned food. A handy if not
combative device. We left, & returned to town (stopping on the
way at the farmhouse. There my plans to use the farmhouse as a
source of materials for our Cottage died. New tenants had moved in
& they did not appear to be Fisters.
So, our first outing after my studies was anticlimatic - I hope
the spider had moved to an uninhabited area. I would hate to see
sentients harmed, even though it is a natural creature. (The good
point is, we did not have to SLAY a natural creature, which
undoubtedly would have weighed heavily upon the mind of our druid).
A few things of note: The bodies of the 'elven' horse &
humanoids were missing. Had they reanimated? Or had someone hauled
them out & not left a trail our ranger could detect? Unlikely.
Perhaps there are properties to the pedestal & the sword which
remain undiscovered. Speaking of which, our party gets along so
amiably now that I did not even mention the divvying of loot. The
ranger took the cold sword, the locksmith his 'family dagger', the
druid a pin enchanted against flesh golems & the sacred book.
The monk took the ring. The dwarf & I took only a few potions
& gems. Of course, I took the wizard's book. It was only of
moderate value, and that only to one with arcane gifts. I already
knew most of the wizardly skills & had actually studied in the
ARTS before opting for sorcery. Therefore it was fairly simple to
learn the trade. My father would be most pleased & perhaps a bit
smug to learn of my decision.
