Lacking Natural Simplicity

Attending

Clockwise round the table:

• T.K.B. — Labyrinth Lord

• C.DW. — a Thief named Aria

• B.B. — a Dwarf named Urgo

• T.A. — a Magic User named Octavian

• E.A. — an Elf named Trista

• M.A. — a Cleric named Jude

They trekked through the hills for 4 days (Trista downing a dear when their rations were gone), until they finally found the huge tree said to be the entrance to the old pit. Unfortunately, they were unable to find the entrance, and as they were looking they were attacked by javelins thrown from above, in the tree. Not able to see their assailants in the leafy boughs, they fled. At a safe distance they decided to run back and have the dwarf climb the tree, while the elf, thief, and cleric used their missile weapons. With the goblins concentrating on the dwarf climbing towards them, the others were finally able to pinpoint the goblins, and managed to kill one of them, by the time the heavily wounded dwarf managed to climb up to the goblins and miss his first attack. The dwarf managed to scare the remaining goblin into surrendering, and they climbed down out of the tree. The goblin swore he would leave and go back to the deep mountains, if they would let him go. When the dwarf swore he would let him go if the goblin told them how to enter the pit, the goblin did so. An argument ensued among the PCs, Octavian in particular not wanting to let the goblin go, but Urgo finally did (having sworn) and the goblin high-tailed it out of there. Several of the PCs had been injured, but Urgo had taken the worst of the damage while climbing up the tree.

They headed down the narrow dirt tunnel the goblin had shown them, concealed behind a cleverly hinged section of a huge root, and the tunnel quickly opened up into a stairway cut from stone. They passed through one empty room, where they paused to light Octavian's lantern, then down another stair to a much larger room. At the far side of the room they could just make out a demonic face carved on the wall, its huge mouth gaping blackly. As they stared at the demonic face they were surprised by 4 goblins springing down from niches high on the wall where the stairway entered, behind them. After a few rounds, they were attacked by archers in the dark beyond the demonic mouth, too. Soon all the PCs were badly injured, the dwarf at 0 HP, Octavian at negative HP, and then Aria was brought to negative HP. Urgo bound Aria's wounds, and fell unconscious himself, bleeding to death, while Trista and Jade attacked the two goblins beyond the mouth, Jade throwing himself through the gaping mouth. Jude killed one of the two goblin archers, but fell to the other, who finally fled in the face of Trista's deadly arrows. This left Trista the only conscious adventurer, with four unconscious companions to care for in this deadly dungeon.

She bound up her comrades' wounds, then searched the dead goblins, finding a single vial of thick green liquid. She gave it to the dwarf, Urgo, and when he revived they carried their comrades partway back up the winding stairs, out of easy bowshot, and secured them to iron spikes, so they wouldn't slip down the steps. There they each guarded one approach. Urgo fell asleep, but luckily Trista's keen elvish senses noticed his snores and woke him, for in the night he heard goblins approaching up the stair. He hurtled himself down the stair into the 4 goblins, killing one outright and injuring another and setting them and himself tumbling to the bottom of the stairs. Dazed and confused by the tumble, they all traded blows in the dark, flailing madly and futilely until Urgo finally killed 2 more of them, and the last remaining goblin fled back through the mouth before Urgo could catch up with him.

Eventually Jude recovered from his wounds enough to wake and pray, and then healed Aria. The companions then fled, carrying the unconscious and deeply wounded Octavian with them, headed for town!

Aftermath

I hope to continue this adventure when B.B. & C. are next in, perhaps on fall break.