Book Three, Chapter Six, �Strewth that Khuzdul�s got no strides on!�

�� 14/03/98

So Sir Martyn is addicted to rewk and Zytsi (in a low blow) sold his last to him. All we have to do is escape the Temple, leave the area, return to Trobridge, get better and then come back. And why are we coming back? Because Aruth really does need his staff back, and Zytsi has bought Sir Martyn�s aid to get his hammer back, Sir Martyn�s spear is broken, again. We have the sphere, that�s the good news.

Down the tunnel to the mad woman�s hut. Aruth got a worm down his back of his shirt. We get out and it�s still dark. Then round the Temple and its watchers to the wagon, takes about an hour to get there. The wagon is out of gas, so Aruth camouflage the wagon and we wait. Sorry that will be sleep.

First watch is for 4 hours and is Aruth and Sir Martyn. Zytsi and Daniel are second watch. Then we have breakfast. So then we go back to sleep. So its first watch again. Searchers in the woods, loud voices off, don�t find us. Then its second watch again. Searchers in the woods, loud voices off. One coming towards us - directly towards us. OK it got very silly. Long Whisper (300�), Shadow, Air Wall, and finally Charm Kind with a 20d bribe. He went away and didn�t find us, but about 1 in the morning he probably realised what actually happened and decided not to tell anyone.

Ten days to Trobridge. Here we go. Its 24th of Kelen. Day watch is Sir Martyn and Daniel, with Aruth and Zytsi are the night watch. Aruth moves the wagon. Day one. A mountain lion is watching us, growling vaguely, not massively aggressive. Sir Martyn thought about it for a familiar. It goes away, sensible move.

Following day on evening watch. Aruth hears a scrabbling noise in a bush not very far away. Projected Light scares the skunk away, not getting stink on wagon or on us.

Start of 4th day that is while we are still in the mountains, while we are travelling along. We see nine flying (15 foot wingspans) Harpies. They try to shit on us, and then scream paralysingly. Sorry Sir Martyn is on the ground and 5 rounds away riding his horse. They swoop on the wagon. They make a mess, swoop back again, and trash Daniel. Third swoop and one of them gets taken out by Zytsi, and then another one plummets. Sir Martyn arrives and climbs into the wagon and Aruth does a Silence - burn the witch. Killed four, one severely wounded, and they flee. The Wagon is covered in shit and we are a mess. Let�s forget about that shall we.

That evening a Gargun (singular) rushes into the camp and attacks Zytsi, who tries to hit it with his dagger. (Remember he doesn�t have a war hammer any more and is using a dagger). He misses, and the Gargun knocks him out. It keeps going. Daniel sings a stun song, Sir Martyn runs after him; it keeps going, leave the stun area. It gets away.

On the sixth day, when we are coming out of the mountains and we can travel �normally� the next day. That night Aruth saw a large flying creature, to the north, silhouetted against the night sky. Later on, it is a humanoid figure with bat-like wings; it�s about 1/2 a mile away. It glides up and the party gets ready. Male loincloth, pallid complexion, bat-like wings.

Sir Martyn talks to it, it replies, and we all save - but we don�t know what against. Aruth lobs a Sudden Light and it flies off.

On the 7th day, nothing happens. Aruth and Daniel swap watches.

On the 8th day, we see a goat with three tails, a barbed fail-like tail, a flat tail and a fan peacock tail. It has on horn in the centre of its forehead. It is sitting on the flat tail and preening it fantail. Sir Martyn shot it with the arbalest and it ran away.

We sleep next to some delicate pink flowers, Aruth and Daniel took a lot of damage overnight from the flowers.

Then the wheel falls off the wagon. So Aruth floats the wagon and puts the spare on.

��

And on the 10th day, we arrived at Trobridge. Its 3rd of Nolus.

Trobridge has had a bad year.

<<Dinner Break>>

We stay here a week and go up a level. Sir Martyn goes Cold Turkey, for a while, but he relapses after 10 days. He has got an extra supply of rewk from the apothecary. And he stocks up on other healing herbs. Plus 60 doses of rewk, that is 20 each except for Sir Martyn who had 12 earlier. It is rewk he is addicted to after all.

So we set off again on the 14th of Nolus. First day is uneventful. Second day Aruth finds some unusual tracks - cloven hooves, four legs, rather large. Sir Martyn gives up on day 5 and has a dose of rewk. On day 6 just as we are setting up camp. �Ho the camp.�

�Ho the voice, come forward and be recognised.�

�You won�t recognise me.� - Its a peddler with a mule. Just come from Golotha, they are having one of their purges again. He has a war hammer. Trobridge had none and some random peddler we met in the wilderness has one. He is on his way to Araka-Kalai by the way. We have been wandered by a random shop, we are addicted to shopping! How do we kick this habit? Zytsi bought a standard war hammer for 100d, worth 90d - but he knocked him down from 200d.

The next day he�s gone. No one saw him go. The hammer is a piece of wood with a stone on the end and the saw is grass. Oh! Burn the witch. No tracks. Aruth can find no tracks. So we agree one day, and one day only searching for him/it. Find a path within 5 miles; go to the path 3 miles away. No passers by.

Next 2 days uneventful and then we (Sir Martyn and Daniel) get a mild infestation of lice. So Sir Martyn and Daniel shave all hair off to get rid of it. Daniel decides he�s going to have a very short crop and one of those short thin beards and thin line moustache.

We arrive in the vicinity. We are a day away, and it�s the 22nd of Nolus. Leave the NPCs and Sir Martyn�s horse here. The next day we fly to where we parked before. We found some bloke hanging there, like the guy we bribed. So we fly back to base camp.

So we�ll be walking back to the Temple, then do one room and leave.

There is a ring of burning torches around the Temple. Sneak up on the Mad (Old) woman�s hut. She is asleep, and trapdoor is locked, Zytsi picks it and opens it. Down we go. We will leave money here for her on the way back. So she�ll know that we are basically friendly.

Down into tunnels along and into the Temple again. Consult the notes and lead the party to the right room. Sir Martyn is to attack the central Orchaalcum golem and Zytsi and Aruth take the other two, pass parrying attacks. Daniel is to grab the staff and war hammer on the table and leave. It�s a plan.

OK the staff is on the table, but Zytsi�s golem has his war hammer. Plan does not survive contact with the enemy. Zytsi goes to the left and Aruth to the right, Sir Martyn in the middle and fires an Acid Bolt at him. Daniel starts his run. Larani is with us, +25.

Sir Martyn is knocked over and Zytsi�s dagger sticks in his golem. Next round Daniel grabs the staff and leaves the room. Sir Martyn stands up and combat ensues. It drags on and on and on. Err why aren�t you coming out guys. After a while Zytsi kills his. Zytsi pulls his war hammer out of the tar golem and Daniel pulls out the +15 dagger, ignoring the other 2 daggers stuck in it. Sir Martyn is becoming a mess. Recover weapon and start leaving. Daniel and Zytsi are out. Sir Martyn and Aruth pull out, but Zytsi�s foot is stuck in the tar on the floor (I don�t understand it either, its Harn) and a golem swings at him. He took an acid bolt (Bujoc rule OK) as a parting gesture, clothes destroyed. Trousers destroyed.

We go. We leave. This is a cursed place. Sir Martyn wants to do one more room. Zytsi has knobbly knees. We leave, out of the Temple and into the tunnels,................................ Oh bugger Sir Martyn and Zytsi want to loot the place, Aruth and Daniel don�t, and Sir Martyn has the casting vote. It will be full of golems, and possibly constructs. Just one more room, now what does that remind me of?

Back to the original lecture theatre we first came into and north into a hall. Around this hall are frescos of unusual humanoids engaged in ambiguous activities. Quote, unquote. Up and into the most spectacular room on Harn. Quote, unquote. There is a throne here. Three stain glass skylights, really good stuff. And there are four doors, not including the double doors that nobody can open. Sir Martyn strides up to the door. He sees a chest by the throne. Probably another one as well.

Sir Martyn goes over to the door. Open it, look in, and shut it. Golem swings a halberd or something and misses as he ducks back. The room has furniture in it.

Larani give me knowledge. What happens if Sir Martyn goes up and hits the chest with a morning star. He will die, eventually. Faf, Faf, Faf. What we happen if Sir Martyn throws a rope over the chest and then pull like buggery ? A picture of everyone running away.

Put up Woodwalls and Earthwalls� in front of doors - putting Aruth out of spell points - Do another premonition and if it�s bad we leave. What happens if Sir Martyn goes and tries to steal the chest. He can�t pick it up and a figure appears and engages in combat with him. OK so its time to leave. The Earthwalls are permanent by the way, the Woodwalls aren�t, so there is a gap between the doors and the Earthwalls.

We leave, we run away. We get back to the mad woman�s hut. Leave her some money and tidy up. We can get back to the wagon OK provided we don�t get wandered. So we get wandered. Sir Martyn treads on a wild boar, which squeals and he stepped off it and it run away. OK so we wandered it.

We�ve got back to the wagon and it�s the 24th of Nolus. Run away. Four days on and its OK. 27th of Nolus. And something is about to happen.

EPs 1,250 each.

The Milky Sphere is rather like a D&D Egg of Force. A submarine, charged, how long it lasts, etc and so on I should know. We can fight through it, however so can sea monsters can attack in.