The Journey Into Darkness
"But I don't wanna go into darkness! It's scary!"
"That's why we brought a torch, Sajii."
"But there might be scary monsters!"
"Duhh... that's why I brought an axe, Sajii."
"Oh, come on! We've just about left the door behind."
"Okay, Kerrick, hit the torch."
Kerrick of Tusmit lit a torch, shining light on the party. He was an Elven fighter, but rather than all the other Elves, he was muscular, and, well, stupid. His companions were Saque Dulagin, cleric of St. Cuthbert, Thamior of the Pomarj, an Elven ranger, and Sajii, the halfling sorceress. The party trooped down the stony dungeon corridor. "It's rainy and smelly in here!"
"If you want to complain, St. Cuthbert will hear your prayer."
"No!" Sajii said in a whiny voice. "I worship Yondalla, goddess of halflings." She stuck out her chin and planted her little feet.
"Sorry, Sajii, no need to get so upset. But you can complain to Yondalla if you'd like. See you." Thamior and the group strode down the corridor, leaving Sajii behind muttering to herself. Eventually she noticed the party had left.
"Hey, wait up!" Sajii ran after the group, but came to a fork in the tunnel. She cast a divination and asked, "Which way do I go?"
A voice came down from the heavens: "Take the road that is the left, to take the right would mean you're deft."
"Oh, helpful. What does 'deft' mean?" Sajii wondered. "I'd better take the right path, seeing as how I'm right-handed."
Later on, the boys arrived at a large, open chamber. There was a portcullis on the other side, but Kerrick didn't feel like raising it.
"Come on, Kerrick! Please!"
"No!"
"If you don't raise that barrier, the holy might of St. Cuthbert will strike you down!"
"Hey, Saque, that wasn't called for. Let's just wait for Sajii to show up so she can use telekinesis."
"Good idea, Thamior. Shall we sing?"
"Okay!"
"99 bottles of ale on the wall, 99 bottles of ale! Take one down and pass it around, 98 bottles of ale on the wall..."
Meanwhile, Sajii was trekking through the corridors when suddenly a giant spider leaped down from above. Sajii shrieked and gabbled off a magic missile spell, which didn't seem to hurt the spider. It leaped and stung her in the arm. Sajii shrieked again and hit the spider with her halfling nunchaku, and ran away. Sajii heard the spider scuttering after her, so she ran around a corner and laid a fire trap spell. She took off again, but turned around and saw the spider explode in a burst of flame. Sajii smiled and walked in the opposite direction. Suddenly she grew weaker, and weaker. But a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared. She heard voices! The voices were saying, "56 bottles of ale on the wall..." Sajii knew immediately it had to be her friends, for who else would sing barroom songs in the middle of a dungeon! She stumbled toward the voices.
The rest of the group was still hanging out at the portcullis room when Sajii arrived. She stumbled in, and then collapsed.
Thamior looked at the body, and said, "Okay, who here has neutralize poison?"
Saque lumbered over and cast the spell on the sorceress. Approximately 1.25 seconds after waking up, she immediately started complaining.
"You guys left me all by myself! How could you?! Good thing I was only attacked by a monstrous spider! Who knows what nasty stuff might've gotten on me! Not to mention you guys got blood all over my new shirt!" She indicated the two gushing points on her arm, "I mean, I might've died! What a horrible fate! And just because you wouldn't let me pray in peace! I can't believe you men!"
"Oh, be quiet for a second." Saque said as he pressed a hand over the spider bite. A glow enveloped Sajii's arm for a few moments and when it had vanished, the bite was gone.
"Good old St. Cuthbert!" Saque chortled. "That's five you owe me, Sajii!" "Now, Kerrick, since we are all here, could you please open the portcullis?" Thamior asked impatiently. "Oh, ok." Kerrick moved next to the portcullis, grabbed the bottom and pulled it up.
Behind the portcullis was a group of skeletons. "Uh,oh." Kerrick moaned and stepped through the doorway, letting the portcullis fall down behind him. The party crashed against the obstruction. "Kerrick!" Thamior yelled. "Get back! And open the portcullis!" "Oh, don't worry, Thamior." Kerrick replied slowly, "I'll kill these big evil skeletons."
Kerrick pulled out his war axe and charged into the skeletons. He smashed two and decapitated another before he got through the group. The skeletons turned around and a smile seemed to come to their bony faces. Kerrick skidded to a stop against a wall and flipped around. "Uh, oh." He moaned again as the skeletons came closer. Kerrick looked for somewhere to run, but failed.
Suddenly, a strong voice shouted, "For the glory of St. Cuthbert!" In the doorway, his holy symbol of St. Cuthbert held high, Saque chanted the prayers to move the undead away from Kerrick. The skeletons moaned and disappeared. "Not bad, eh? Now open the portcullis again, Kerrick."
Soon the party was inside the next room, the remains of the skeletons at their feet. A big wooden door was in front of the party. "Guess we'd better go through the door, eh?" "Whatever you say, Thamior."
Inside the door was a huge room, with a red carpet leading down to an altar of an evil god. Pillars lined the walls and ornate carvings lit up the ceiling.
"Wooooowwwwww."
"Wooooowwwwww."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save the sight-seeing for later. Where's the treasure?"
"Kerrick, you should appreciate the majestic beauty of this place."
While Sajii, Thamior, and Saque stood gawking at the decoration, Kerrick strode down the carpet like a king. He soon found himself in front of the altar.
"Wow, this looks good." He thought as he helped himself to a skull turned candle-holder. "And so does this." Kerrick took a human jaw-bone turned into a necklace, an unholy symbol of some god he didn't recognize, beady jewels that looked like eyeballs, and a candle.
"Holy places never have anything good." He complained to himself. Suddenly a shout from behind startled him.
"You blasphemer!"
Kerrick spun around and saw three monks of the god he didn't know suddenly appear. "You dare forsake the unholy altar of Nerull! Prepare to die, pathetic adventurer!"
Kerrick didn't know who these people were, but he heard the work 'prepare' 'dare' 'forsake' 'unholy' and 'die,' so they must be bad people. He pulled out his sword.
"Uhh, guys... help..."
They all came out of their tourism trance. Saque and Thamior charged, and Sajii fired a lightning bolt that fried a monk. More clerics of Nerull appeared, and the battle began.
Thamior pulled out his double-bladed sword and began dueling with two clerics. One had a beard. Saque waded through the enemy, bashing heads with his heavy mace. Kerrick just sliced with his axe, not really caring who died. Sajii fired long distance spells, and ran away when the enemy got close.
Just as the clerics were just about defeated, one of Sajii's fireball spells went awry and hit the wall hard. The structure started to collapse.
"We'd better get out of here!" Thamior shouted, and the party raced out just in time.
Back in town, the party mulled over their adventure. "Well, we didn't get any treasure, but the experience we gained make us more powerful!" Sajii said, happily.
"Well, at least I got this." Kerrick said, pulling out the unholy symbol of Nerull.
A number of townsfolk saw this. One of them screamed, "He's a cleric of Nerull! Get him!" A mob quickly formed, chanting for blood.
"We'd better get out of here!" Saque said. The party raced out of the town, with the townsfolk hot on their heels.
The End
"But I don't wanna go into darkness! It's scary!"
"That's why we brought a torch, Sajii."
"But there might be scary monsters!"
"Duhh... that's why I brought an axe, Sajii."
"Oh, come on! We've just about left the door behind."
"Okay, Kerrick, hit the torch."
Kerrick of Tusmit lit a torch, shining light on the party. He was an Elven fighter, but rather than all the other Elves, he was muscular, and, well, stupid. His companions were Saque Dulagin, cleric of St. Cuthbert, Thamior of the Pomarj, an Elven ranger, and Sajii, the halfling sorceress. The party trooped down the stony dungeon corridor. "It's rainy and smelly in here!"
"If you want to complain, St. Cuthbert will hear your prayer."
"No!" Sajii said in a whiny voice. "I worship Yondalla, goddess of halflings." She stuck out her chin and planted her little feet.
"Sorry, Sajii, no need to get so upset. But you can complain to Yondalla if you'd like. See you." Thamior and the group strode down the corridor, leaving Sajii behind muttering to herself. Eventually she noticed the party had left.
"Hey, wait up!" Sajii ran after the group, but came to a fork in the tunnel. She cast a divination and asked, "Which way do I go?"
A voice came down from the heavens: "Take the road that is the left, to take the right would mean you're deft."
"Oh, helpful. What does 'deft' mean?" Sajii wondered. "I'd better take the right path, seeing as how I'm right-handed."
Later on, the boys arrived at a large, open chamber. There was a portcullis on the other side, but Kerrick didn't feel like raising it.
"Come on, Kerrick! Please!"
"No!"
"If you don't raise that barrier, the holy might of St. Cuthbert will strike you down!"
"Hey, Saque, that wasn't called for. Let's just wait for Sajii to show up so she can use telekinesis."
"Good idea, Thamior. Shall we sing?"
"Okay!"
"99 bottles of ale on the wall, 99 bottles of ale! Take one down and pass it around, 98 bottles of ale on the wall..."
Meanwhile, Sajii was trekking through the corridors when suddenly a giant spider leaped down from above. Sajii shrieked and gabbled off a magic missile spell, which didn't seem to hurt the spider. It leaped and stung her in the arm. Sajii shrieked again and hit the spider with her halfling nunchaku, and ran away. Sajii heard the spider scuttering after her, so she ran around a corner and laid a fire trap spell. She took off again, but turned around and saw the spider explode in a burst of flame. Sajii smiled and walked in the opposite direction. Suddenly she grew weaker, and weaker. But a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared. She heard voices! The voices were saying, "56 bottles of ale on the wall..." Sajii knew immediately it had to be her friends, for who else would sing barroom songs in the middle of a dungeon! She stumbled toward the voices.
The rest of the group was still hanging out at the portcullis room when Sajii arrived. She stumbled in, and then collapsed.
Thamior looked at the body, and said, "Okay, who here has neutralize poison?"
Saque lumbered over and cast the spell on the sorceress. Approximately 1.25 seconds after waking up, she immediately started complaining.
"You guys left me all by myself! How could you?! Good thing I was only attacked by a monstrous spider! Who knows what nasty stuff might've gotten on me! Not to mention you guys got blood all over my new shirt!" She indicated the two gushing points on her arm, "I mean, I might've died! What a horrible fate! And just because you wouldn't let me pray in peace! I can't believe you men!"
"Oh, be quiet for a second." Saque said as he pressed a hand over the spider bite. A glow enveloped Sajii's arm for a few moments and when it had vanished, the bite was gone.
"Good old St. Cuthbert!" Saque chortled. "That's five you owe me, Sajii!" "Now, Kerrick, since we are all here, could you please open the portcullis?" Thamior asked impatiently. "Oh, ok." Kerrick moved next to the portcullis, grabbed the bottom and pulled it up.
Behind the portcullis was a group of skeletons. "Uh,oh." Kerrick moaned and stepped through the doorway, letting the portcullis fall down behind him. The party crashed against the obstruction. "Kerrick!" Thamior yelled. "Get back! And open the portcullis!" "Oh, don't worry, Thamior." Kerrick replied slowly, "I'll kill these big evil skeletons."
Kerrick pulled out his war axe and charged into the skeletons. He smashed two and decapitated another before he got through the group. The skeletons turned around and a smile seemed to come to their bony faces. Kerrick skidded to a stop against a wall and flipped around. "Uh, oh." He moaned again as the skeletons came closer. Kerrick looked for somewhere to run, but failed.
Suddenly, a strong voice shouted, "For the glory of St. Cuthbert!" In the doorway, his holy symbol of St. Cuthbert held high, Saque chanted the prayers to move the undead away from Kerrick. The skeletons moaned and disappeared. "Not bad, eh? Now open the portcullis again, Kerrick."
Soon the party was inside the next room, the remains of the skeletons at their feet. A big wooden door was in front of the party. "Guess we'd better go through the door, eh?" "Whatever you say, Thamior."
Inside the door was a huge room, with a red carpet leading down to an altar of an evil god. Pillars lined the walls and ornate carvings lit up the ceiling.
"Wooooowwwwww."
"Wooooowwwwww."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save the sight-seeing for later. Where's the treasure?"
"Kerrick, you should appreciate the majestic beauty of this place."
While Sajii, Thamior, and Saque stood gawking at the decoration, Kerrick strode down the carpet like a king. He soon found himself in front of the altar.
"Wow, this looks good." He thought as he helped himself to a skull turned candle-holder. "And so does this." Kerrick took a human jaw-bone turned into a necklace, an unholy symbol of some god he didn't recognize, beady jewels that looked like eyeballs, and a candle.
"Holy places never have anything good." He complained to himself. Suddenly a shout from behind startled him.
"You blasphemer!"
Kerrick spun around and saw three monks of the god he didn't know suddenly appear. "You dare forsake the unholy altar of Nerull! Prepare to die, pathetic adventurer!"
Kerrick didn't know who these people were, but he heard the work 'prepare' 'dare' 'forsake' 'unholy' and 'die,' so they must be bad people. He pulled out his sword.
"Uhh, guys... help..."
They all came out of their tourism trance. Saque and Thamior charged, and Sajii fired a lightning bolt that fried a monk. More clerics of Nerull appeared, and the battle began.
Thamior pulled out his double-bladed sword and began dueling with two clerics. One had a beard. Saque waded through the enemy, bashing heads with his heavy mace. Kerrick just sliced with his axe, not really caring who died. Sajii fired long distance spells, and ran away when the enemy got close.
Just as the clerics were just about defeated, one of Sajii's fireball spells went awry and hit the wall hard. The structure started to collapse.
"We'd better get out of here!" Thamior shouted, and the party raced out just in time.
Back in town, the party mulled over their adventure. "Well, we didn't get any treasure, but the experience we gained make us more powerful!" Sajii said, happily.
"Well, at least I got this." Kerrick said, pulling out the unholy symbol of Nerull.
A number of townsfolk saw this. One of them screamed, "He's a cleric of Nerull! Get him!" A mob quickly formed, chanting for blood.
"We'd better get out of here!" Saque said. The party raced out of the town, with the townsfolk hot on their heels.
The End