(G147 06/10/2012 (sat) - BG - JF(GM) , AP)

DAY 151 (9th Eleasis)(August) continued ...

Fenrir left the TSV in the morning and went to the OJB where he arranged with
everyone to see what they could find out about what was under there. He spent about
three hours asking around then met up with the rest of the gang.

In essence there was a crypt down there of roughly 200 years age. Crypts from that
time period were typically guarded by constructs, such as gargoyles and living statues.

After lunch they made their way down, the dungeon team consisting of Fenrir,
Alduin, Sylvia, Corum, Giselle, Berten, Nestoone and Raya.

Corum and Alduin started by knocking down the temporary wall that the dwarf had
put up with sledge hammers. The noise attracted skeletal warriors, but the lads
quickly battered them into bone fragments with the hammers, Fenrir helping
with precise magical bolts from the rear.

They then broke into the corridor beyond and everyone stepped out of the hole.
Just as they were admiring the period stonework more skeletons attacked from
either end of the corridor.

There were twenty or so of them, but they were no match for Corum and Alduin
at one end and Sylvia and Fenrir at the other and were quickly smashed to
pieces.

Next they followed the corridor and found that it was actually circular and
could be followed all the away round to their entry point.

On the west side of the circle was a set of stone doors leading inwards and
a corridor leading outwards.

The corridor proved to be heavily trapped, but here Raya was in her element
and disarmed three in this area. The area was a small crossroads, the
north and south corridors leading to alcoves in which statues were placed
and the west leading to a crypt that was were the skeletons had most likely
emanated from.

They then turned their attention to the doors. Raya opened them and stepped
into a large chamber that contained a statue of an artist holding a pallet in
one hand and a large brush in the other.

She stepped closer to have a look at the inscription, but suddenly it struck
her with the stone brush causing her great injury. She skuttled out to get
healed while Corum and Alduin charged in to fight it.

Sylvia cast a spiritual hammer but it appeared to have no effect. Fenrir
blasted away, but after a while Corum shouted back to say that that too
was having no effect.

The stone golem was having a great effect on the fighters though, soundly
thrashing both of them. Giselle sung a rousing song and Bertren blessed
everyone, but it was not enough and everyone had to run for it.

Luckily though they golem did not follow them out of its chamber giving
them enough time to think of a strategy and get some healing magic on the
people who were injured.

Fenrir tried blasting the thing on the leg twenty times but it had no
effect at all. He then threw in a 'darkness pebble', but when Alduin
tried to sneak past he was hit across the back with the stone brush.

Corum and Alduin did manage to make it across the room and dive through
the doors on the other side, but not after receiving some pretty hard blows
from the artist's brush.

And on entering the room it got worse as Corum stumbled into a trap that
hit him with a 'Bestow Curse' spell.

The next room had four pillars in it and a stone coffin at the back.
They shouted through the doors the inscription on the coffin and the
clever ones in the group translated it into:

'Here lies the mortal remains of Hadreb the Sculptor, look upon his
mighty works and tremble.'

They opened the coffin but it was a trap! Whirling blades came flying
out. Corum ducked, but Alduin was hit and poisoned.
He fought off the poison though and took a potion to stop any further
effects.

Bruised and battered, the lads then searched the chamber and found that
there were secret doors in the north and south walls.

There was some discussion as to what to do next, but in the end it
was decided that the fighters would heal up and run back through.
They would all then gather up the treasure gained so far and head back
up to re-assess the situation and heal thier wounds.

In the afternoon Fenrir and Nestoone went over to the Temple of Ogma to
do some research on stone golems. It appeared that only adamantine weapons
could harm them, something that was way out of reach of everyone's purses.

Corum was sent to Hova Farm to see if I could help, but I ...well, this is another
story really, but I'd found the refugees camped out around the farm to be in
dire need of help. Put simply, if I took even a day out to have, what admittedly
sounded like a fun adventure, then people would die. Hundreds of people were
in critical need of help and there were only thirty or so healers on site.

Corum understood and went back to the OJB to report.

In the evening then, they all agreed to try again the next day and went
to their separate homes.

Fenrir took Giselle out to the Wands Villa where a 'Ghosts and Ghouls' party
was being held. Fenrir went as a skeleton (of course!) and Giselle as a vampire.
They had a good time and returned home around one o'clock in the morning.

DAY 152 (10th Eleasis)(August)

Fenrir and Giselle spent the early hours of this day doing what Fenrir liked
to do best, so they were still awake when the TSV was attacked.

The first thing they knew was when there was a crashing and sounds of breaking
glass from above. Looking out into the hallway from their bedroom they saw
a mummy coming right at them.

Fenrir ordered his girlfriend out the window and to bring help and tackled
the monster alone. He managed to kill it but was very nearly killed himself
and infected with the terrible disease known as 'mummy rot'.
(This was actually the second time Fenrir had contracted it!)

He checked out a few rooms and saw some servants being chased out of the
window by another mummy. He then went to the main stair well and lurked
in the rafters. After a short wait he blasted into oblivion another mummy
as it chased a servant down the corridor.

He blasted away at a few more as they went past but he was too injured
to engage them on the ground. The battle seemed to shift outside though
so he flew up through the shattered sky light to survey the scene.

It was carnage of course. Mummies were chasing servants and mercenaries
and easily killing them once cornered. Mummies could be defeated with
flame and while many were destroyed this way, this did have the added
disadvantage to setting the Villa somewhat on fire.

Out in the gardens it was like a scene from hell, with trees and bushes
on fire and people fleeing through the flames. Fenrir saw Arsten use a
powerful magic item to deal with the last of the mummies though and it
appeared that, within the TSV anyway, the battle was over.

As they cleared up the dead, he was greatly dismayed to discover that in
amongst all the dead servants and mercenaries were ten members of the
Thunderstaff family. These included his mother Ginerva and his recently
rescued brother Zoltan.

Shallerim was also dead, Fenrir discovering the body himself among the
wreckage. He lay on the floor in his room with a dagger wound in his back.

Later he met with his father, Elsdon, who revealed that there was just
enough money in their part of the family fortune to resurrect his wife
and son, so Fenrir hoped that this would not be their final rest after
all.

Meanwhile (and later on) Oz received this message from his feathered friend
which tells of how that attack took place:

'Well boss, I was on my little perch on the roof of the neighbours house. They
are really nice people there, there is a little girl that likes to leave me the
crusts from her breakfast ... ahem! That's of no importance is it? Sorry boss,
back to the point. I saw a cart rumble up the street at three in the morning. It
had three guys sat on the front and it looked like a brewers cart. The took the
canvas covering off the back. Underneath was a bunch of big clay jars. Next the
three guys started casting spells and summoned what I think looked like Fiendish
Giant Wasps. The wasps then picked up the jars and flew up above the Thunderstaff
villa dropped the jars and vanished. Well, I took to the air boss, flying in
amongst them all. I reckon there were at least two other cart loads of jars.
It was chaos, the jars landed on the roof and shattered, or went down through the
sky lights. Some landed in the gardens, in amongst the mercenaries. The jars,
once shattered, contained very angry looking mummies! Well, there were people
running everywhere, mummies chasing them or on fire from the fire bombs people
were armed with. It was quite a scene, but I reckoned the best thing for me to
do was keep an eye on these carts.
I got an eye on one of them and followed it from the air through the streets. It
stopped outside this tavern, it had a sign in the front of a girl crying a single
tear. Two of the guys jumped off, the third then took the cart away. Thinking
quickly boss, I flew in through the open door into the busy tavern and roosted
in the rafters. The guys I had followed in crossed the main room to a door that
lead upstairs I think. One of them turned and looked around the room then, I
swear, looked right at me.
He raised his hand and pointed right at me with his hand shaped like a crossbow
handled and made a 'pulling the trigger' gesture. I was so scared I accidentally
pooped into someone's stew!
He then turned and left. He was tall thin, hooked nose, with a big long white
beard. He had 'powerful wizard' written all over him.
I winged it, boss, after that, I don't mind telling you!'