It was late afternoon, and the blazing white sun was high above, blasting down on the three thirsty adventurers with waves of intense heat. Canica (played by Jenn) had been walking her horse to ease its labor and keep pace with her other two companions: Kazoo (played by Isis) and Bloodfang (played by Gil). The last drops from their sagging water-skins had been emptied.
They were officially completely out of water, but the Paladin was adamant that by evening, they would find the water source alluded to by the spirits. At least, she desperately hoped so. Consequently, thirst was taking its toll on Kazoo. Meanwhile, Bloodfang (played by Gil) spotted a large plume of black smoke rising into the blue steel sky somewhere to the north, presumably a location near the dust-choked road that they had strayed from. Not long after, they took refuge under the shadows of some tall, large boulders, possibly remnants of druidic standing stones, to take shelter against the sun.
A few moments later, Kazoo was lying in the shade, and Bloodfang sat coiled beside him as he had been dubbed (by Kazoo) “official bodyguard of the prophet”. Canica was standing guard next to her horse, feeding it a handful of yellow grass found at the base of one of the standing stones.
Kazoo: “Hey, does anyone else smell that?”
Bloodfang (uncoiling and brandishing his Guan Dao): “On your feet! Harpies!”
Being a native of the general region, he knew that particular stench.
From atop one of the tallest rocks, a hideous harpy sneered at the three adventurers. The thing had the face and naked upper body of a hideously elderly human woman with bulging eyes and pointed teeth. Its long, tangled gray hair and slate gray feathers were besmeared with dirt and offal. It shrieked and then dove at Canica from its roost talons first. The paladin was able to parry the claws easily with her shield.
A second harpy crawled to the top of the same standing stone. Bloodfang immediately slashed at her with his Guan Dao, utilizing its reach, wounding her badly. The foul blood ran down to the ground. Kazoo slashed with one of his claw weapons at the first harpy, missing badly and scraping stone. Canica whipped out her battle ax and hacked into the first harpy. Blood splattered on the ground, and feathers flew as it flapped her wings in panic. The second harpy shrieked and rose into the sky above the stones out of the PC’s reach.
The first harpy also rose into the air, beating its wings desperately, scattering dirty feathers everywhere slashing Canica with a talon, wounding the paladin severely. Bloodfang stepped in and hacked the monster in two with a single powerful stroke. A wad of soupy dung splattered onto Kazoo’s head and shoulders, thrown by the second harpy as it fled. The creature flapped into the distance, cackling maniacally. She was long gone by the time Canica had pulled out her bow and nocked an arrow.
Bloodfang: “I think we better keep moving.”
Kazoo stopped Canica’s bleeding before they started once again heading toward the water source. By sundown, they had passed between some very low hills and then came upon a cliff edge. In front of them, at least another day’s travel away to the south, were more high steep rocky hills, but Canica said they should be at the water.
Canica: “It’s got to be at the bottom of the cliff. Right?”
Kazoo: “Well, I’m really bad at climbing. Hey, can I ride you?” He pointed at Bloodfang, who, of course, said, “No.” It took a couple of minutes for Kazoo to convince him otherwise.
As Bloodfang slithered down the 20 ft. cliff with Kazoo riding on his back, Canica rappelled down after. They found themselves at the bottom of the cliff and decided to use Canica’s instincts to follow the ridge further west. She led the way with no torch or lantern to light her way. They had been walking up a rise as they continued southeast, then Canica walked straight off a 15 ft. ledge.
Isis: “What!? Why don’t you have a lantern or torch or anything!”
Jenn: “Oh yeah, what do you have?”
Isis (flipping her character sheet over to the equipment sheet): “Um, a candle. That’s it.”
Jenn: “Oh, wait. I have a torch!”
Isis: “Only one torch?”
Jenn: “Yes!”
The GM (yours truly): “Sorry, you already fell. The dice were already rolled.”
The fall had nearly killed her (1 H.P. left), so Bloodfang decided to lead the group at a more careful and “slower pace”. They turned due south, following the cliff’s edge as the land turned to a lowering hillside. It was almost dawn by the time they found a cave on the rocky hillside in a narrow canyon between the steep humps of sand and stone.
The cool, moist breeze that blew from the cave was all that it took for them to run heedlessly in and down a gravel slope towards water. Only pausing for Canica to light her single torch. As soon as they crested the lip of gravel at the mouth of the cave, Canica slipped and slid down the gravel slope into the darkness. They witnessed her lit torch flying into the air and sparking out as they heard the thumps of her body and the sliding gravel.
Bloodfang (his voice echoing off the cave walls): “Hey! You okay!?”
Canica (dusting herself off): “Yeah, I’m okay.”
Isis: “Are you sure, sis? You were already hurt.”
Jenn: “I healed up a little, but yeah, I’m back to what I was. Um, on K-O points.”
Gil: “Aw, man. Okay, I guess my guy will take the lead. Again.”
They found the stone ramp that went deeper down into the cave, deciding to follow the cavern wall, working their way from west around to the east. Moving silently in the dark, with no torches or lanterns or any other light source, they came to a niche in the wall, and the best they could make out in the dark was that there was a collapsed statue in it. Kazoo then pulled out and lit his candle stub (1 hr of light left).
It was the broken remains of a female naga statue, from what they could tell from the fragments. The fragments appeared to have been smashed with tools. They continued feeling their way, eventually finding a rounded recess that led to a stone door with the carved image of an eye at its center. Remaining cautious, Bloodfang picked up a stray stone and tossed it at the door as the other two ducked back behind the corner of the cavern wall. A giant stone arm emerged from the stone of the door and, snatching the stone before it hit, crunched it into sand.
Isis: “I cannot wait to find out what’s behind that door!”
However, they decided to leave the door for another day and continued their circumspection of the cavern wall. Soon enough, they came across another destroyed statue and then came to a 5 ft. ledge under which was a sand bank along a small body of murky water. They immediately drank their fill and filled as many waterskins as they had. Canica took the time to fill her helmet with water and took it to her horse. She then led it into the cave and over the gravel slope towards Kazoo’s candlelight without incident. They decided to camp next to the water.
Bloodfang: “Alright, I’ll take the first watch…”
Kazoo: “I’m gonna sleep through the night. I’m not taking a watch, so you guys figure out…”
Bloodfang: “You’re taking a watch.”
Kazoo: “What do I need to take a watch for?”
Bloodfang (almost speechless): “Um, well… um, for stuff, man!”
Immediately giving up trying to talk sense to the half-breed Bloodfang intimidated him: Natural 20.
The watches were quickly decided, and the first two had Bloodfang and Canica on guard while Kazoo took the last. Of course, by the time the third watch came around, all three were fast asleep. Suddenly, a loud bubbling burp and the sound of gushing water awoke them. They found that large air bubbles were burbling up from somewhere deep under the water. But nothing else happened.
Bloodfang was livid: “That could have been serious! And you were SLEEPING! Sleeping on duty!?”
Canica: “Hey, I sat my watch.”
Bloodfang: “I’ll be taking Canica more serious than you from now on. And I carry my people’s beliefs, not yours! I do not even know what you believe!”
Kazoo: “I believe things! Many things!”
Bloodfang simply ignored the wannabe prophet. Not much later, he led them back out of the cave and managed to navigate them back onto the road. They found a stone water well right next to where they had walked onto the road from the hills.
The players let out an exasperated sigh (teehee).
Bloodfang (suddenly having an idea): “Now there’s a fort marked on the map, right?”
Canica (unfolding the map): “Looks like it.”
Bloodfang: “Keast was taking us there, so we should go to the fort. You can guide us since it’s day.”
He indicated Canica.
She realized that they would have to travel back north from the location of the well. It would take them most of the day to arrive at the fort. It was late afternoon when Kazoo spotted the fort and realized it had been burnt to the ground.
Kazoo: “Um, guys?”
Bloodfang: “I don’t want to hear it.”
Kazoo (riding on Bloodfang’s shoulders as if he were a mount): “The fort’s burned down.”
Canica (from the back of her horse): “Sure is.”
Bloodfang: “Aw, man.”
Gil snapped his fingers.
“This is where that plume of smoke was coming from that I saw yesterday!”
To Be Continued…
