A “Bug Puppy” Eats Scooter’s Battle Axe & Revned Finds Her Spellbook
Adventure #017
Local morale is extremely low. With reinforcements from Scooter’s band, the group of adventurers decide now is the time to finally eliminate the powerful evils that inhabit the Caves of Chaos. Revned also realizes that this is probably her last last chance to recover her stolen spellbook.
Midweek Preview
New adventurers – you’re probably nervous and/or excited – this is the first time you’ll see some real action! Camp morale is low – people feel that they would rather take their chances inside the Keep and in hushed tones some say that Deveraux should no longer be in charge. Early next morning, as the group is preparing to leave the camp and head back to the caves, Opal finds Titania – she has 3 vials of holy water for you. Cob also has something – he hands you an object wrapped in leather – says he found it in the woods…
Adventure Recap:
Once returning to the ravine the adventurers head to the bugbear cave, and for some reason, the group is no longer welcomed. Next they begin searching for the cave entrance to the mysterious temple of the undead. After several hours, of searching, pitiful digging and searching some more, the group discovers that the entrance was hidden by an illusion – Revned and Scooter appear to walk through the ravine walls – disappearing and stumbling right into the cave entrance hallway.
Once again, the group starts down the familiar shiny hallways of blood red stone with black veins. Suddenly, a creature drops from the ceiling and Helga is completely engulfed by a strange creature that kinda resembles a flying manta ray. Helga is being bitten and constricted by this strange creature. By the time the group kills the creature, Helga is near death and unconscious. Titania’s heal spell brings Helga back to her feet.
The group proceeds with searching the caves, and finds that the once inhabited chambers have been cleaned and emptied. Revned searches every nook and cranny she finds some stray coins but not her spellbook. The final option is a door that leads to an unlit staircase leading downwards…
The caves begins to transition from the shiny stone to a more natural rock and dirt. Ahead is a clanking noise and the group encounters an owl bear chained to the floor! The strange beast wounds wulfgar, with its claws and beak. Luckily the group puts it down rather quickly. The three barbarians take owlbear parts. Ahead in the next chamber, the adventurers encounter a strange “bug puppy” that feeds on metal. Scooter’s battle axe becomes a snack. Juvia tackles the creature, then takes a short ride.
Scooter adjusts his armor (now missing a buckle or two), and Jamwar gives the bugbear sword to Scooter before the group continues. Down another set of stairs, the group sees a faint light and decide to investigate. They find a large library of magic with a young girl, Arpad reading at a table with her “pet”, Rusty. All sorts of books line the bookshelves. Tears run down Revned’s face – she found her spellbook! Some members of the group take books; Wulfgar also jams a few odd skulls into his backpack.
Arpad says she’s the barrelmaker’s teenage daughter from the nearby Keep. She has been held prisoner for the past month and an evil necromancer, Tarlech, has been trying to make her his apprentice/assistant. She assumes you were sent here to rescue her and the other prisoners. She tells the adventurers about the locations of Tarlech chamber and the prisoners. Tarlech has been experimenting on prisoners – trying to turn them into some sort of super zombie, but Arpad has been secretly foiling his experiments and has helped the prisoners survive a little longer.
Titania keeps the undead guards at bay while the others destroy them. Meanwhile, Lumina gives Fhamoril a piggy-back ride. After defeating the prison guards and rescuing the emaciated prisoners, Arpad suggests that you “take care” of the A-hole necromancer immediately – then she and the prisoners can make their escape with you.