7: The Alternate Entrance
Having no luck finding Quasequeton, we rally and exit the caves intent on search the next set. As we exit, we halt in our tracks. We'd run smack in middle of an endless array of hobgoblins, goblins, and kobolds lining the slopes leading to the cavern entrance. It was a sea of creatures: male, female, children and families. All seemed armed and at the ready.
In regimented form, each semi-organized group was fronted with what appeared to be their leaders. When we came in full view, they all tensed as if on the precipice of attack. We jerked back, mostly out of a desire to run back into the caves. We knew this was far too many to take on. Sure we could chop down a good number before they overwhelmed us, but this was not the hill we wanted to die on.
One among them, a leader at at the head of the hobgoblins, thrust her fist into the air and then slowly retracted it. It seems to invoke a clattering of iron against shield and sword to sword, some sort of symbol of obedience among all the tribes. This hobgoblin leader stole but a glance at the other leaders and that was all it took for them to still their roiling hordes.
Once calmed, the hobgoblin leader and a small envoy made their way down the slope to where we stood. We stood in absolute submission, hoping only to make it out of this situation alive. They stopped in front of us and the hobgoblin leader spoke in the common tongue, albeit a broken version of it.
She introduced herself as Nomgoran Bronzebow. At her back, her trusted Lieutenant, Molgren stands ready. To her left and right Chakvis Bittersnarl, chieftain to the goblin tribes and Ezig Mukrunner, chieftain to the Kobolds.
"Peace," she explains. "All that we require is our home back. We wish to be left in peace here. We were pushed out of these caves by Maravek and whatever evil plot landed this Minotaur and bugbears here. We can show you the way to Quasequetan, to Maravek. If you can promise us peace. If you cannot, we will kill you where you stand."
We all looked at each other with blank faces and finally nodded in agreement. Marevak was our intended target and it seemed that this army in front of us held the key to that. So sure, we offered them peace to get to our goal, not knowing if we could keep that promise once this was all over. It'd be a hard sell to Roderick, to make sure that Nashkel Keep steered clear of here.
Our word, however flimsly it was, seemed to satisfy Bronzebow. With an accord in place, she nodded to her trusty leiutenant, Molgren and instructed him to lead us to a hidden way into Quasequetan. An alternate entrance.
Molgren was rather quiet. Though we tried to strike up conversation, he seemed nonplussed that the extent of his day ended in his being a tour guide. We could tell that, though he obeyed without question, he didn't seem to much care for us or the task he'd been ordered to complete.
He abruptly stopped at a portion of stone and slapped his hand on the wall against what seemed like a random area. Suddenly, the stone rippled into some sort of forcefield that entered into another room. Though no reply was given, we thanked Molgren for his guidance and scowly-faced attitude then made our way into the room.
Ahead of us another doorway, similar to the first but it had a button. We smashed the button a few time to get a sense of what it would do. The field would disappear and reappear as we touched it. Some of us thought it was a trick, that it was doing other things, but there was no prove so we gave up on that theory and moved into the next room.
The following events can only be described as a challenge of 5 parts...
Earth Elementals
I guess the first room was the lobby because that was the only room in which I felt like I could have taken a seat and waited in relative peace. But the first real room was more than we'd bargained for.
As we entered through the energy-field-door-thing, we found two skeleton corpses, one holding a pick axe, and two large rubies embedded in the wall. Now, anyone who knows me, knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that if there is something to be touched, played with or otherwise acquired, I am the first to volunteer my services. This situation was no exception.
There was some warning involved, I thought. Or maybe I was just hearing things. No matter. I snatched up the dusty old pick ax and proceeded to slam it against the shiny that was mocking him from the wall.
The pick axe stuck into the ruby, then shifted upward and then came out of the wall. But it wasn't just the ruby that came out of the wall. A hulking giant made of stone came with it, my body now dangling in the air as he held onto the handle of the pick axe. Behind us, another stone figure emerged, the second ruby embedded in its chest.
The one I clung to slung me across the room, signaled to his buddy and began swatting at us with their large club-like fists. Several well-placed Eldritch blasts from Carrick, masterful sharp-shooting from Miresta, blade work from Damaia, and furious fists from Bhodi won the day. I'd managed to stay conscious but had been rocked (ha-ha get it?) by the behemoths. My hammers seemed ineffective. Had it not been for my friends, we may not have made it to the second room, which proved to be worse than the first.
Dark Dwarves and Deadly Machines
The second real room made me want to go back to the first. As we entered, we found a plaque on the floor in the center of the room. The plaque said: "What is it, which if you name, you destroy it?"
We toiled over the answer for several minutes and spoke something aloud. I can't even remember what was said because a loud noise drown out all thought in an instant.
Two giant machines with big drills for hands burst through the other side and stood between us and a speedy exit. They were piloted by what looked like dwarves, only pale white and weird looking. I later realized they were the dwarves of the Underdark called Deuregar, a nasty sort I hope never to encounter again.
They didn't come straight for us. They forced us to come to them. So those that could keep clear of those massive drills did but nothing we seemed to be doing was making an impact. Norah moved up to them to attempt to disable the machines but some sort of electric shock ran through her nearly killing her.
I ran to her quickly and pulled her out, telling her to retreat. In a rage, I gripped my hammers and went berserk on the machines. I took a significant amount of electric shock from them but couldn't feel it. By then my rage was so deep, my anger for seeing my young friend nearly killed that I didn't stop until the rest of my friend stopped me and told me that they were dead.
I hadn't realized it by they had been in the background laying waste to these things as I ping-ponged between them. They may have been more effective than I was, but it felt good to pound out my anger nonetheless.
It was here that we took a much needed break. We all needed to sit and gather ourselves. This was just the beginning and the odds were that things would get much worse going forward. Nobody said the road to Maravek would be easy.
The Hill Giant
This is where things became markedly different. When we went through the openings that had been made by the Deuregar machines, we weren't greeted by another cavern or room. It was a hillside, a vast landscape that continued uphill. There seemed to be no top at first, but as we walked the crest became more apparent.
Near the top, a giant sat near a camp fire. He bore a club and a nasty look on his face. As we topped the hill he stood and moved to block our passage. We stopped immediately and then he spoke.
"You can't pass unless you can answer my riddle."
It was clear we had no desire to brawl with the likes of this thing. It was massive and we were still trying to catch our breath from the last battle and the climb we'd just made up the hill. So we acquiesed.
"Fine, what is your riddle Giant," Carrick said in an utterly annoyed tone.
And the Giant laid it on us:As I was walking on my grounds,
Up starts a hare before my hounds.
The dogs, being fleet, did fairly run,
To her fifteen yards, full twenty-one.
The hounds began some yards away;
Full six and ninety from their prey.
Now tell me, clever folks: declare
How far they ran to catch the hare?
Both Carrick and Bhodi's eye lit up when they heard the riddle. I stepped back because I knew my skills were in my hammers and in measuring grains for grog. This was most assuredly out of my reach. But I could see the wheels turning in Carrick's and Bhodi's minds. They were in a race to get to the answer, a competition within a riddle.
They both immediately came to the answer, Carrick just seconds before Bhodi and blurted it out.
"336 Yards!"
The giant had a look of surprise and then sadness on his face.
"Yes," he said. "No clubbing today. You may pass."
He stepped out of the way and let us pass and we made our way downhill now, to another entrance at the base of the hill. Going down was definitely much easier than going up.
Weresisters
Inside this entrance, we saw a large cavern and in the center was a cottage style house with a gate around it. It had a well manicured yard with lush hedges and greenery to enjoy and was in a good state of repair.
As we approached, Miresta noticed the fence went the length of the cavern and wouldn't allow us to pass. There seemed to be two human women tending the gardens. We tried to greet them and they began to speak with us in an alternating voice.
Sister 1: Kema and I were born -Sister 2: on the same day of the same year -
Sister 1: Leesha and I -
Sister 2: have the same parents, but we're not -
Sister 1: twins.
Another Riddle. Great. I'm terrible at riddles. Now, I secretly wanted to go back and fight those stupid Deuregar things that almost killed us. That I could do.
I stood back as the rest of the group batted potential answers around. I had no clue. There were some really good answers that could have all worked. This one seemed harder than the previous. Finally, Miresta settled on an answer and said it allowed. I don't even remember what she said because almost immediately a shout came from in front of us.
"Wrong!" The two women seemed to come to life and turn their attention to us. We were about to ask what the answer was when a third figure jumped out of the hedges behind us. I turned to greet number 3, which was a werewolf.
When I turned back around, the other two had turned from humans into werewolves and lunged at us. Luckily, we reacted in time to not get bit and catch the curse of these foul beasts. Me and Damaia worked the one behind us down while Bhodi, Miresta and Carrick whittled away at the other two. Eventually, they fell, but not without some serious effort.
If Maravek wanted us worn down by the time we got to him, it was working.
The Guardian Spirit
When we finally made it past the cottage, we found another entrance at the far end of the cavern. I'd hoped that this was it, that we were done, that we'd finally reached Maravek. I didn't know how much more I could take. I could taste the vengeance on my tongue.
As we went through the entrance, we found ourselves standing in another large cavern. At the far end was a shimmering gateway. It was large and reflective and, honestly, beautiful. This had to be the way into Quasequetan.
As we moved toward it, a large ghost apparated in front of us, blocking the way. She was a disgusting figure, with a marred face of bone and skin, ratty, wispy hair and flapping, dingy garbs of white and grey.
She gave a screeching cackle and stared at us momentarily before she spoke. No formality. No greeting. She simply stared at us with those wily eyes while she recited a poem, another riddle. I'm going to have to get some book learning at some point, I think.
By something form’d, I nothing am,Yet ev’ry thing that you can name;
In no place have I ever been,
Yet ev’rywhere I may be seen;
In all things false, yet always true,
I’m still the same, but never new.
Lifeless, Life’s perfect form I wear,
Can show a Nose, Eye, Tongue, or Ear;
Yet neither smell, See, Taste, or Hear.
All Shapes and Features I can boast,
No flesh, no bones, no blood - no Ghost:
All colours, without Paint, put on,
And change like the Chameleon,
Swiftly I come and enter there.
Where not a chink lets in the Air:
Like thought I’m in a Moment gone,
Nor can I ever be alone:
All things on Earth I imitate,
Faster than Nature can create;
Sometimes imperial Robes I wear,
Anon in Beggar’s Rags appear:
A Giant now, and straight an Elf.
I’m ev’ry one, but ne’er myself;
Ne’er said I mourn, ne’er glad rejoice,
I move my Lips, but want for a Voice;
I ne‘er was born, nor e’er can die,
Then prithee tell me, what am I?
I believe it was Carrick or Norah that gave the answer. To tell the truth I don't remember. I was too enthralled by the spirit in front of us to think about anything else. I am easily distracted. One of them shouted out the answer.
Comments
Post a Comment