“I feel like a new dwarf,” Kildo Hammerhand said as he woke up and stretched underneath the nighttime sky on the island of Scarlet Peeks. The moon shone from behind a billowy cloud, as if it was a playful thing peeking around it. Its rays traveled in all directions highlighting other nearby puffy formations. Their shape tips were white, but deeper in, turned a dark blue. Even the rocks and the ground had an ultramarine blue color. Peering out to the sea beyond, the surge tips were also lightly kissed white, with the water a cool, calming sapphire color. The waves rhythmically rushed up on the shore, as if the droplets were all racing, daring each other, to see how far they could travel, before being pulled back by Mother Sea. As they retreated, the white moonlight reflected off the sandy shore, which sparkled like diamonds. Even the insects left him alone, as if they too were mesmerized by the beauty. It was a peaceful, scene of serenity where the dream of life living in harmony could be realized.
Glancing over, he saw his teammates already up. Guo Gan was holding up the Philosopher’s stone in the moonlight, while Mufi was trying on the alchemist’s hat in different positions.
Kai walked up and said, “The sun will be up soon. I want us to be in the house before first light.”
Making their way inside, the group went into the kitchen, past the pantry, to the cellar below. Careful not to step on the top stair they made their way through the barracks to the southern secret door to the cavern structure below.
Before taking ten steps in the cavern there was a shout.
“Giant weasels!”
There were five creatures shrieking, hissing, and shouting. However, these were not small, but large and a single one could probably take down a wolf. Their white fur stood on end and their tail with a black-tip was fully rigid. It barred four knife-like fangs, which were covered in the blood of its last meal. Clawed feet scratched the rock’s surface. They were incensed at their presence and were not going to give up any ground and would drive the party out or die trying.
Behind the creatures the group saw a cloaked human. He seemed to be driving the weasels on.
Kai moved up and slashed with his glaive, but the creatures darted out of the way. An ice knife from Mufi flew into their midst, striking one and exploded, killing it, as the fur of three others froze over.
Then something unexpected happened. The druid began to change. His body became luminous, as his joints glimmered like stars in the heavens. Glowing magical lines connected each point, as if on a star chart. Bright light shed out from Mufi, as he became a constellation of an archer with a great bow. An arrow appeared magically, as he pulled it back. A luminous missile hurled at the weasels. Missing, it was none the less an impressive sight.
Kai then said shaking his head in disbelief, “I’m amazed. I thought you air breathers were one thing, but you became another.”
Guo Gan spun his quarterstaff, striking and killing one. He then flung out his dagger, which struck another.
Kildo then began casting; Toll the Dead. The sound of a dolorous bell filled the air around the weasel. The creature began to whimper and cringe. Blood seeped from its ears as it fell dead to the ground.
A weasel danced around Guo Gan. It leapt in and before the monk could strike, was back out of range. It circled around and dashed in and out with lightning speed. Suddenly, it darted in and its jaws snapped the monk’s nether region and shook its head viciously.
Guo Gan reeled in pain, as he tried to pry the creature off.
Zzee rushed in and slashed with his scimitar, striking the creature from behind, killing it.
Guo Gan nodded that he was fine, as he kicked the carcass.
Kai said, “If Rikki-Tikki-Tavi taught us anything, these things are faster than snakes, but it seems not lizards.”
Zzee snorted knowingly.
“Arg! Foiled!” the human with a long mustache cried out as he tossed a large sack at them. He then whipped his dark cape over his mouth and darted around the corner.
It opened up in mid-flight, as two large snakes slithered out. These had a triangular-shaped head. An indication they were extremely poisonous. They had green scaly scales and smelled of wet dog. While normal snakes only attacked when threatened, these were eager for a fight and ‘hissed’ their malevolent intent.
Kai slashed at one with his glaive, but the viper darted back.
The snakes lashed out at Guo Gan and Zzee, likely due to the smell of dead weasel on them.
“Oi, Druid! Don’t stand there! You know all about snake! Charm them or cast poison spray on them or something!” Kildo shouted, as he ran past the battle heading south to head off the weasel training, snake throwing, villain.
Eyes turning up in thought, the starry form of Mufi yelled back, “I don’t think I can cast poison on them! I think they eat other poison creatures, so they’ll have poison in their fangs. I’ll make it worse! I know!” The druid casted frost bite, as the snake started to freeze up, as ice formed on its scales. An ethereal arrow fired from his starry form, but missed.
An arrow from Imago also ‘whizzed’ past and ricocheted off the floor.
Guo Gan swiped with his quarterstaff, but missed. He followed up and kicked the snake, which made it even madder as he reared and barred its fangs at the monk.
Advancing and hissing, like air coming out of a tire, Zzee slashed with his scimitar and slashed one of the creatures.
It then began to twinge and curl upon itself, as blood seeped from its eyes and mouth as it fell dead. The sound of dolorous bells filled the air around the snake, as Kildo casted; Toll the Dead. The panting dwarf was running back from the south, but not in panic, but frustration. He shouted, “It be a dead end to the south! The villain be getting away!”
Cursing under his breath, Kai charged after the human, but the last snake lunged and bit him on the ankle. As the paladin rounded the corner, the party heard him shout, “There’s another guy!” A moment later thick grey smoke began to billow from the ground around the passageway. It spread around the area and obscured the paladin from sight.
Zzee charged after Kai, as he too was bit as the fangs snapped around the lizardfolk’s heel. He disappeared into the mist. Mufi snorted, as he also ran after the pair. The snake lashed out, but missed the druid.
Distracted at attacking the party members, it failed to see the boot coming down. Guo Gan crushed the head of the snake. Brain matter, eyes, and ichor spewed from underneath.
Kildo reaching where the snake battle had just ended ran past the monk and into the fog cloud. He darted passed the form of Zzee standing in the fog, looking around for the enemy, but the cloud was so thick a person couldn’t see more than a hand in front of them. “Come on sleestack!”
Kai remained motionless in the cloud. Things were moving in the mist. Friend and foe. He heard movement. Boots hitting stone. Some sounds grew louder, while others faint. The fog concealed him from harm, but it was in there. There was silence. The mist moved. The paladin curved snake-like away, as the sound of steel slicing through the air penetrated the fog. It was the cloaked human he was chasing. The mist covered his form as it melted back into obscurity.
The hunt continued. Kai gripped his glaive tightly. He thought about drawing his sword and shield, but it would give him away. Realizing his opponent knew where he was, he carefully stepped through the foggy tunnel. The outline of a humanoid shape was forming in front of him. It was short and stout, like a dwarf. Thinking it was Kildo, he moved closer. The dwarf turned, but he didn’t have bright red hair, but pitch-black. He was dressed in loose garb of a bandit. Kai made a deliberate attempt to impale his enemy with his glaive. Flesh, muscle, and bone crunched as the power of the blow struck home. The bandit dwarf slumped dead.
Guo Gan moved south through the cavern, it turned east. Bright light was ahead. The mist was disappearing. The spell had reached its limit. Emerging, he entered a large cave opening. To the south, it opened directly to the sea. There was a high watermark on the wall, indicating the tide was out. A boat with oars, a mast and a furled sail, and large enough to hold eight people and supplied was docked with a rope tied to a rock, used as an anchor. He was not alone.
As he entered, three goblins snarled at him. Standing about 3.5’ feet tall, they had flat faces, broad noses, pointed ears, and small, sharp fangs. Their foreheads sloped back, and their eyes were red seeing in infrared vision. Their skin color ranged from yellow to green. They were dressed in dark leathers and soiled, likely due to poor hygiene and wielded crude scimitars.
A female hobgoblin was also present. Bald, she had red-orange skin and dark brown eyes peered out beneath a beetling brow. A wide mouth sported sharp and yellowed teeth, with two small tusks coming up from her lower jaw. Her nose was blue and matched a tattoo on the left side of her hairless head. She had one hand on her hip and in the other she held a short staff that was pointed at the bottom, spiked in the middle, and an amber like stone that would act like a club at the top. She wore leather armor, exposing muscled arms, legs and midsection. A vest, tied in front, tightly covered her large breasts, which any man would yearn for, except it was on the body of a hobgoblin.
The last person was a human with dark skin. He wore faded-white cloth clothes made for the desert and thick leather boots. It exposed his smooth, muscular chest and arms. He wore a grey turban, which matched his belt, which had two curved daggers sheathed through it.
Kildo and Mufi also emerged from the fog cloud. The groups stared at each other.
The monk acted first, as he brought his quarterstaff smashing ferociously downward. It crushed the skull of one of the goblins, killing it. One of his companions slashed back, but missed.
Kildo charged and engaged the remaining two goblins. One slashed at the cleric, but it was stopped by the dwarf’s shield.
The bandit leader then called out, “Ha, ha, ha! It is destined that Sanbalet will not be killed by you nosey kids! Sanbalet will defeat you all!” Three rays of fire hurled from Sanbalet’s hand spinning and twisting and twirling from within each other. They flew toward Mufi, Guo Gan, and Kildo, but they all missed.
Seeing the failed magical attack, the female hobgoblin snorted in disgust and rolled her eyes as she shifted from one leg to another. She did not move to attack.
Taking advantage, Guo Gan swept his quarter staff in a tremendous bone-crushing arc killing the second goblin.
Kildo swiped with his warhammer at the last goblin, but the creature retreated back and snarled at the dwarf.
The hobgoblin female then raised her staff and said, “You have failed our queen, Sanbalet. I’m out of here.” She was briefly surrounded by a silvery mist and she disappeared from sight.
As the battle in the cave continued, the fog cloud dissipated. Zzee, Kai, and the cloaked human were immediately visible.
Zzee slashed the human, as Kai also struck him with his glaive with a devastating attack.
Mufi in starry form shot an arrow at the cloaked human. The missile weapon struck him square in the chest. He was blasted into the wall. His broken form fell to the ground. The druid then casted; Guiding bolt. A flash of light streaked towards Sanbalet and blasted a scorching mark across his body. His entire body then glowed with a mystical, dim light for all to clearly see.
Guo Gan charged the glowy figure, as his quarterstaff crushed into Sanbalet.
The last goblin and Kildo squared off with each other. However, the humanoid turned to Sanbalet and spat, “Wretched human, you have failed us!” He then leaped forward, pulling a dagger and thrusting it with malevolence and surety. It plunged into Sanbalet’s heart. The bandit leader’s eyes went wide in surprise.
Sanbalet whimpered, as blood came out of his mouth and he slumped to the floor holding the embedded dagger hilt.
Zzee charged in, his scimitar lunged with awesome cutting power. The weapon hewed the goblin head from its body.
“No!” Kai cried as he rushed over to Sanbalet. Kneeling down he placed his hands on him. The bandit leader looked to the paladin and weakly said, “Sanbalet is betrayed.” His head slumped and then his eyes stared at nothing.
“There’s nothing here but five bolts of silk cloth and eight small casks of brandy,” Mufi said as he dipped his finger and tasted it. “Pretty good too. I’ve had it before.”
Carefully laying Sanbalet’s head down to the ground, Kai stood up and said, “Scaren sent us in wanting to investigate and determine if this house is truly haunted. So, I say we explore the rest of this place, as it doesn’t seem to be haunted in the way he thought it was. There’s a sinister secret of the House on Haunted Hill and by the gods we are going to get to the bottom of it.”
After a short rest, bandaging wounds, and taking a breather, the party moved back upstairs and headed to the second floor from the entrance. Daylight flooded into the house’s windows. Heading east, the group remembered that the floor to the next two southern rooms was weakened by water damage. Guo Gan led.
“Run in!” Zzee encouraged.
“No, hold this rope!” Kai countered pulling out a cord.
“Run in…Run in…Run in!” Zzee chanted.
“Stop it! I’m not going in,” Guo Gan replied as he waived off the paladin’s offer of the rope. He then opened both doors. The rooms were dirty and empty. There were missing floor boards, heavy water damage, and neither area looked particularly safe.
Guo Gan closed the doors then led to the west wing of the upper floor. Crossing the balcony, there was a heavy ‘creak’ and ‘snapping’ of wood under the monk’s feet.
“Oh, shi-” Guo Gan said before falling through the floor. There was now a 7’ foot gap to the other side.
“You hurt?” Kai asked.
Guo Gan was seen slowly picking himself up and dusting himself off. The group then began to argue.
“How are we going to get across now?” Mufi asked.
“We can use my rope,” Kai replied.
“I’m not going to use that rope. Zzee is going to cross it.”
“I’m not jumping it and no one is tossing me either,” Kildo stated folding his arms across his chest.
The party was then surprised when they saw Imago on the other side of the hole.
“How did you get over there?” Kai asked.
“I went up the kitchen stairs,” Imago replied.
“He’s smart. Let Imago lead,” Zzee said as he went on the outer side of the banister and inched his way across and around the hole. He then climbed back on the other side of the railing and looked at the group. “Come on Kai. You can do it! Fish man…Fish man…Fish man!”
Kai got a running start and leaped over the hole. Just as he looked back in surprise that he made it, Mufi, Guo Gan, and Kildo came walking from the north wing having used the stairs from the kitchen area.
The group all together, Imago said, “As your new leader, I say we go explore the north wing and check the two east doors.” The ranger then moved through the party. They all looked at each other and then glared hard at Zzee.
“What!?”
Imago opened the first eastern door. It appeared to be a bedroom, as there was a mattress in the middle of the floor. Under the window was a large wooden chest, which had been shattered. There was nothing else of interest in the room, except extensive amounts of black mold.
Kai began to say before being cut off.
“Now, let’s try this way,” Imago stated as he opened the other eastern door in the hallway. It appeared to be a storage area. There was a large chest with the lid closed under the window. There were two broken chairs, splintered wooden buckets, and a moldy sack. Nothing of value was in the room.
Kai took in a deep breath, as he began to say before being cut off.
“Time for us to move on,” Imago said as he headed to the stairs leading to the kitchen. There were partially broken stairs leading to the attic.
Heading to the broken stairway to the top story and standing under the hole, Mufi said, “Imago, let me stand on your shoulders.”
“No, you stand on Zzee’s shoulders,” Imago ordered.
“Maybe, we should have a hold your breath contest,” Kai complained.
“Enough chatter, Kai. Mufi, stand on Zzee’s shoulders,” Imago motioned.
“Ouch, that’s my face!” Zzee complained as Mufi climbed on.
Soon Mufi and Kildo were through the hole. The attic ran the length of the building and was filled with old cobwebs.
“Is there anything up there!?” Imago shouted from below.
“No!” Mufi called back as he went back down the hole.
Kildo rummaged through the trash that was littered up there. Moving a piece of rubbish, there was a decapitated head of a child’s doll. It was made of white porcelain. However, it was partially cracked, which appeared like massive scarring across the left side of its once smooth face. The head was covered with ribbon, which at one time might have been a beautiful color, but now the color of grey dust and black mold. The eyes were made of cloudy glass. They followed him and stared right into the dwarf’s soul.
Snarling at the creepy thing, he kicked it across the room. He could hear the porcelain crack as it bounced. Coming to rest, its jaw had been knocked off, giving it an even more disturbing expression. Its cloudy eyes continued to hold its stare at the intruding dwarf.
Kildo’s eyes went wide at the hatred the doll shot his way. He scampered away and back towards the hole. However, before dropping down below, in a somber tone, said, “My apologies.”
“Great job everyone! We should check out the rest of the house,” Imago said as he led the party to the west wing of the second floor. There were two southern doors. Opening the first, it appeared as a master bedroom. There were floorboards missing and rubbish scattered around.
“Hey, there’s fresh scratching on the window seal at the bottom,” Mufi announced and upon getting closer continued. “It looks like something large had been sitting there.” He then looked out the window, which gave a great view of the sea. It was a nice calm day. There were no ships present.
“Good observation, Mufi,” Imago said.
“Thank you. I think it’d be a good idea if you watched our six,” Mufi said.
“Well, that sounds like a good idea.”
The group then went to the last southern door. Opening it, it was another decrepit guest bedroom. From the numerous droppings on the floor, the house had a rat problem. There was a four-poser bed, but with no bed linen. While at one time the height of luxury, the woodwork was worm-ridden.
“I be thinking that the master bedroom be where them bandits be signaling them their ship. We have to be waiting until they signal the house,” Kildo said.
“Good job my dwarven friend. We’ll wait until night to see if we get the signal. Until then, go ahead and relax,” Imago said and then added. “And welcome to Imago’s Axe Order!”
“We are not part of Imago’s Axe Order,” Kai replied.
“Agree to disagree.”
The party waited around the house for the rest of the day and afternoon. They got a bite to eat and some rest. The sun set, but an hour later, there was a repeating flash of light out to see to the far east.
“Long, short, short, short,” Guo Gan repeated.
“That means, is it safe,” Kai said. “Hurry, light the lantern!”
Pulling out the hooded lamp, Mufi pulled out the flint and lit a candle and added it. Kildo opened the window.
“Give it here,” Kai said. “What’s the response?”
“Short, long, short, long. Everything’s safe,” Guo Gan said looking at their sheet of paper.
After Kai gave the signal, there were several heartbeats of silence. There was no return.
“You did something wrong, fish man,” Zzee said.
“There!” Guo Gan yelled pointing out to sea.
There were flashing lights in the distance. Long, long, long. It repeated several times.
“Ready to unload, come to the ship,” Guo Gan said.
The group cheered excited that they made contact and that it worked. The party went down to the small boat in the cave and loaded the 5 bolts of silk cloth and 8 casts of brandy. Zzee and Kai decided to swim out to the boat, while the rest went on the craft. Making their way across the waters, a fog started to roll in. Pulling hard to make it before losing the ship out to sea, they made it just in time. Pulling up next to it, its name became clear, the Sea Ghost.
07/24/2021 – Treasure
· 20 gp – Party split 4 gp
· 100 sp – Party split 20 sp
· Scale mail armor – Magical
· 5 Bolts of silk cloth
· 8 Casts of brandy
Comments