Cobblepot's BIg Score Game 5

Game Master: Elijah
Game Edition: D&D 5
Players: Jeff, Andrew, Dave
Starting Level: 5
Current Level: 6

Quote of the Evening:
"I give it a 'penguin' sniff."

Introduction

Last time in Cobblepot's Big Score, things did not go so well. The castle's steward was killed, and the guards suspected the party of the murder... Which happened to be true.

The Penguin Bard, Cobblepot (Jeff), the Shark Monk, Sharky (Andrew), and the Sorcerer Psychic Collective of Turtles, Legion (Dave), had been contracted by local mob boss Crocodile Daryl to steal a "Mysterious Item" from the prince who was in town for the village's festival.

The group had weaselled their way into the castle as the catering company, and  had even managed to give the unknowing Wiazrd Panda Xiaojing He, a job as a head chef in the Castle. But it was time to leave her behind and focus on the thieving.

They still had one problem however; They had no idea what they where here to steal. The Mysterious Item was still that. mysterious.  With the guards closing in on them, things were looking pretty hopeless.

A life behind bars seemed assured.

Scene 1 Cobblepot's Visitor.

When the party had left off last game, it was about 9 o'clock at night. None of the group had had much rest and they were all feeling weary. So Cobblepot, Sharky and Legion decided to retire for the evening and made their way back to their chambers.

Along the way, Sharky commented that perhaps they should seek out a bard at the festival tomorrow. He remarked that bard's often new things that others didn't and they might be able to tell them what they were searching for. Legion was not convinced, but Cobblepot, being a bard himself, thought it was a great idea!

With the plan set they group retired. Legion followed Sharky into his room and Cobblepot went and slept in his chambers across the hall.

It had been a long day

Despite his exhaustion, Cobblepot was not to rest that night.  After a few hours slumber, the penguin was awoken by the sound of his door opening, and the light from a strange glowing orb that seemed to float into the darkness.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, it turned out that the light was held in a hand of an aging and flamboyantly dressed baboon. Before the intruder could speak. Cobblepot pointed out that it was rude to enter other peoples chambers without asking first.

The baboon laughed a hearty laugh, and claimed to have some information that Cobblepot needed. Intrigued the penguin heard him out.

Exactly what he looked like... Exactly.

The baboon introduced himself as Simon the wise, an ancient bard if there ever was one. He claimed to know everything, and in fact he even knew why Cobblepot and his band was here. Ever more curious of the old man, Cobblepot got out of his bed, and shared a drink with Simon by the fire.

It is here that our quote of the evening was uttered. As Simon poured him a drink of a very potent liquor, Jeff described his character's actions saying that he gave the glass a "penguin" sniff.

Simon told Cobblepot that the item he was seeking was one of the Foci: A powerful object, and Crocodile Daryl had no idea what he was getting into. He also offered to help Cobblepot get it in any way he could.

A little suspicious, Cobblepot accepted the help, and asked what the strange baboon what he wanted in return. He said he was only interested in the story, and that would be payment enough.

Convinced, Cobblepot arranged to meet him tomorrow at the festival around 10 o'clock, and with that the Baboon departed and the penguin returned to his rest.

Scene 2 Guards at the Door.

The following morning, both of Sharky and Cobblepot's rooms were disturbed by a loud banging on the door. Sharky jumped at the sound, and quietly moved to the side of the door where he braced himself for it to burst open at any minute. Quietly, Sharky told Legion to see what was happening outside. Smiling, Legion cast Gas Form, and drifted through the top of the door.

Outside he saw no less than eight guards, four on their door, and four on Cobblepot's. Before he could return and tell Sharky what he saw, a fireball grazed passed him, singeing him slightly before he could retreat.

We never did find out who threw that fireball,
and Legion is a group of turtles...

Legion told Sharky about the guards in a whisper, and not knowing what else to do, he and Sharky waited and listened.

Meanwhile on the other side of the hall, Cobblepot was hatching a plan of his own. Using a Disguise Self spell he transformed himself into a small Squirrel and answered the door.

The guards demanded to know who the squirrel was, and stated that they were here to arrested Cobblepot and his accomplices, a Great White Shark and Four Turtles.

Cobblepot bluffed that he hadn't seen them, and tried to get them to go down the hall. However, Legion had other plans. He was bored of waiting and was angry that the guards had attacked him. So when one of them tried the metal latch of the door he was behind, the Turtles sent a shocking grasp through it. The guard yelled out in pain, and moved to kick in the door. Thankfully Cobblepot acted before things got really nasty.

Loudly he cast a empowered Sleep spell which caused two of the guards to fall asleep. Legion then followed suit knocking out another two from behind the door. With the surprise round wearing off, Cobblepot and Legion won the initiative and managed to put another two of them to sleep.

With most of the guards down, Sharky Burst through the door, grabbed one of the standing guards and hurled him at the other, knocking them both to the ground.

It was a bit of a cluster.

Using his Monk Monastic Tradition: Way of the Shadow, Sharky then cast Pass Without a Trace, and they all ran as fast as they could out of the Keep. 

Scene 3 New Clothes. Checking on Business.

The band left the castle without any resistance, but they were in rags. Their finery had been damaged over the passed few days, and it was time to change their blood soaked clothes. They discarded them in a back alley and head over to the nearest clothing shop they could fine.

The first shop they went into had decent enough clothes, though no where near the calibre they were used to.

Lest we forget this stylish ensemble.

After purchasing new clothes, everyone found their stomachs rumbling. They thought for a moment about where to go to eat, and then Sharky and Legion remembered that they had bought food stands, Legion's Lettuce and Sharky McCoy's Seafood!

Both business were still being expertly managed by the Brantford family of rabbits, with each stand turning a tidy profit.

After a breakfast of Lettuce, and Fish, the group head over to the fair to meet Simon the Wise.

Scene 4 Meeting Simon the Wise. The Mysterious Item. A Plan.

Simon was waiting for them just inside the fair grounds, and walked with them among the games and buskers. He told them that they were in search of one of the three Foci, and that what they sought was in a necklace.

Like this, but fancier!

Cobblepot was surprised to learn that the item was indeed jewelry, as the jewellers he had asked in town the day before had heard nothing of it. Perhaps his questions were too subtle, perhaps the merchants were not cultured enough to know.

God damn, hillbilly merchants!

Simon went on to say that the Prince had gifted the necklace to his mistress the Lady Clarissa, and she wore it almost every day.

Cobblepot searched through the notes provided by Crocodile Daryl, and found a small section on her. It said that she was a bit of a bleeding heart for the needy and Cobblepot and Sharky started hatching a plan.

They told Legion to go and get lost. They would then go ask for the aid of the Lady Clarissa and steal her necklace from her with a bit of slight of hand. 

Scene 5 A Fight with a Bear. The Kindness of the Lady Clarissa.

Of course Simon thought this sounded like a brilliant story, and told them that the Lady Clarissa was currently watching the two-handed tournament, and pointed over to an arena.

Cobblepot thanked the Baboon and he and Sharky head into the arena. Before entering, Cobblepot made a point of speaking with the arena officials, and asked them to make an announcement that they had lost their children, and would appreciate any help. Needless to say giving Legion's description was a bit odd. 

Confused Beaver is Confused

After that, the two entered the stadium to watch the games.

On the other side of the fair, Legion was finished getting lost, and decided to set up a song and dance act. The act attracted a crowd, and Legion was making as were making a fair bit of coin as more gathered. As far as they were concerned getting lost was the best!

Cobblepot and Sharky were also enjoying the festival. The Two-Handed tournament had proven to be quite an entertaining diversion. The large competitors were skilled fighters and each put on quite a spectacle.

In the end the larger champion defeated his only slightly smaller opponent and the crowd exploded into cheers. At this point Sharky was incredibly excited. He wanted to fight the champion. He wanted the glory. He wanted the honour of victory!

In a rage he jumped and shouted at the top of his lungs challenging the Champion to combat.

Cobblepot's Expression.

Surprisingly, the Champion accepted the challenge, and tore off his armour, revealing himself to be a grizzly bear. Sharky ran towards the edge of the arena and leapt into battle.

Yes, it was this awesome.

The battle was fierce as the two beasts pounded on each other with nothing but their fists. The Bear almost came close to besting Sharky, but the shark monk's fists were able to defeat the bear, beating him to a pulp.
The Bear dropped dead to the ground, and the crowd was silent. Sharky roared in victory, and then Cobblepot gave him some instructions with a message spell. He told Sharky to dedicate the fight to the lost turtles and ask for anyone's help.

Sharky did so, and everyone could see that the Lady Clarissa was visibly moved. Within minutes, Cobblepot was brought before the Lady while Sharky wandered off to the Champions resting area.

Cobblepot met with the Lady Clarissa, who promised to send her ladies in waiting out to scour the town for the lost boys. Cobblepot thanked her, noticing the Focus necklace hanging around her neck, and told her that she could reach him at the Legions Lettuce stands in the market.

With that he returned to the shops and waited.

Scene 6 Legion and the Ladies in Waiting.

Legion had wandered far off into the city, and it took the Lady Clarissa's servants more than two hours to find him. When they did, he were less than cooperative.

Legion was very suspicious of these ladies of course, because he had no idea who they were. He had never heard the part of the plan where the ladies in waiting would come to find him, and was reluctant to go with them. Only with the promise of candy was he convinced to follow them.

Works every time.

The ladies took him to the castle, and Legion completely freaked out. He was terrified that the guards would arrest him and turned invisible and ran as fast as he could to where he had last seen Cobblepot and Sharky: entering the arena.

After some searching, Legion found Sharky resting, and told him what had happened. Sharky sighed, and explained to Legion that it was all part of the plan.

However, Legion was still scared and would only return to the castle if Sharky went with him. So the two of them went off.

Sharky and Legion: BFFs

The ladies in waiting were still searching out front of the castle, and were overjoyed to see Legion return. They paid Sharky no mind, scooping up Legion and bringing him inside to wait for Cobblepot in luxury.

Sharky figured the best place to go would be back to his Seafood stand, and see if Cobblepot was around. He found the penguin leaning against Legion's Lettuce and two exchanged their tales.

All they had to do now was wait.

Scene 7 Smash and Grab.

Twenty minutes passed before one of the Ladies in Waiting came to fetch Cobblepot and Sharky. She politely asked them to follow her, explaining that they had found Legion. Cobblepot and Sharky acted relieved and graciously accepted the invitation.

She took them up to the castle and through the front gates. The guards eyed Sharky and Cobblepot with suspicion and mistrust as the lady lead them towards the throne room.

Though the guards had tried to arrest them this morning, none of them were willing to challenge those being presented to the Prince and his Lady.

Tension you could cut with a knife.

The Throne room was a beautiful long corridor, lined with gaurds and ending in the Prince and his Lady’s thrones, in front of a gorgeous stained glass window that over looked the coast.

Sitting in her throne beside the Prince, The Lady Clarissa addressed Cobblepot, telling him that Legion had been found. With a wave of her hand, a door opened, and Legion rushed out, rejoining Cobblepot and Sharky.

Cobblepot thanked the Lady, but was frustrated. Things hadn't gone to plan: the Lady was sitting too far away to take the necklace from her.

He hesitated for a moment until Sharky whispered a plan into his ear. Smiling Cobblepot then whispered instructions to Legion, and they set it all in motion.

Everyone grabbed hold of Sharky and then Legion made them all invisible. As fast as he could (45ft mvt.) Sharky ran towards the thrones, and tackled the Lady Clarissa through the stained glass window, taking Cobblepot and Legion with them.

It was a shear drop toward the coast, but Legion then cast Feather Fall on the group and they began fluttering safely down.

OOOH YEAAAAAAAH!

The Lady was screaming and putting up quite a fuss, but Sharky was able to silence her with a stun punch. Then things started to get hairy.

The Castle guards, reacting to the smash and grab, started shooting arrows at them as them drifted down. Thinking fast, Sharky rolled so that the Lady Clarissa was in between him and the Archers. One last arrow hit the Lady and was followed by the angered shouts of the guards berating the shooter.

Needless to say, the arrows stopped.

The group landed softly on the ground, and Sharky gently put their captive down. Cobblepot snatched the necklace from her neck, and the group fled into the city, using the short cuts that Legion knew to get to Crocodile Daryl's Tavern.

Giddy with success, they were taken totally be surprise, when they rounded a corner to see a figure in a dark robe, and felt their consciousness slip away from them.

And that was where we left off for the evening.

Conclusion

We did! We stole the Focus Orb! But that sweet taste of victory was snatched from us by the a mysterious robed figure! This is the second time we have encountered these guys. and second time they have been a pain in our back sides!

Something strange is going on here, and I fear for our character's live in the next Cobblepot's Big Score!

Memories of Ivershill: Trial by Mushrooms

Game Master: Andrew
Game Edition: AD&D 1st Ed
Players: Elijah and Adam
Starting Level: 3
Current Level: 3

Introduction

My cousin Adam is a regular guest of JADE, and often joins us for our impromptu rounds of Ivershill.

His favourite memory comes from one of the very first games we played, and I have to admit it is one of mine to!

This is the story he told me.

Trial by Mushrooms

Like the lead-up to a terrible joke told by a drunken bard, a Gnome, a Halfling and a Farmer sneak up to a Giant-Mushroom-infested Cabbage Patch. Silently.

Some Context: Strombo (a Gnome Fighter) and Nallo (a Halfling Thief) had been looking for some paid work in Ivershill when the distraught Farmer John cowered up to them, asking for assistance. He told them he needed some help getting rid of two Giant Mushrooms that had set up shop in his cabbage patch, and were ruining his harvest. He and his dear wife couldn’t afford another month without any crops to sell in the marketplace, he explained.

Nallo and Strombo were excited – their first job in Ivershill! The Farmer was a little nervous about the size of his new hired help, hoping for adventurers of a more heroic stature, but these fears were assuaged by Nallo, who assured the Farmer that despite their size, they wouldn’t fall short (Disclaimer: They do. Epically).

Arriving at the cabbage patch, our adventurers swa it was just how Farmer John had described it. But Strombo noticed something deeply troubling about one of the Mushrooms – it was purple, which he was able to identify as a Shrieking Mushroom. If anything falls within a 10-foot radius of a Shrieking Mushroom, it begins to scream, which in addition to being really annoying attracts all manner of wild, dangerous beasts. Perhaps most terrifying among these creatures, a Shambling Mound.

But Nallo didn’t seem too worried. Let’s deal with the Red Mushroom first, he said, and then we’ll figure out how to deal with the Shrieker after. The farmer invited them inside his house to plan, and this was Nallo’s first and last sensible idea of the day. His second idea: Let’s throw pots and pans at the Red Mushroom to weaken it!

To be fair to Nallo, Strombo did not protest and actually seemed pretty pumped to throw some kitchenware at a Giant Mushroom. The Farmer and his Wife began to silently doubt the competence of our two adventures but Nallo and Strombo didn’t seem to notice. Perhaps it would have been better if they did.

So Nallo threw the first pot. Even for a Halfling, this throw was pretty half-assed, missing the Cabbage Patch entirely. But the Shrieking Mushroom remained silent. No harm done. Next it was Strombo’s turn to throw.

Sometimes in Ivershill, you succeed. Sometimes, you fail. And then sometimes you throw a pot right at a Shrieking Mushroom and it screams like death itself, which attracts a Shambling Mound, which slaughters the kindly farmer you were supposed to be helping, leaving his poor, widowed wife alone in tears. This was one of those times.

Needless to say, Nallo and Strombo did not get paid.


Written by: Adam Gregory and Andrew Gregory

The World of Rin

I have been working on the world of Rin for almost 10 years at this point, and the shape of the world itself has gone through many changes. This is the most recent version of the world, that I created using GIMP and this amazing tutorial:

http://bit.ly/1Gmdnie

Rin is a cold place. The main continent was thrown far to the North in a great cataclysm known as the World Shift. This it had the advantage of freezing the undead in place, and rendering them harmless, but the downside of starvation as the dwindling food supplies of once lush nations ran lower and lower.

One of the travelers through the stars, Istar, saw the sphere of Rin was in trouble and spared them. He made the world just warm enough that mortals could plant their shallow crops, but cold enough that the dead stay frozen in the ground.

The land of Rin is under a terrible curse: anyone who dies rises again as the undead in only a few short days. These ghouls, hunger for the flesh of mortals and attack anyone on sight.

To combat this the Church of Istar, the holy rulers of Rin, bury all corpses deeply into the permafrost as soon as they are able. Cremation is also common for those who cannot afford a burial.

Just in case a death is missed. Every town, no matter how small, has a garrison of no less than four Knights of Istar. The undead can be slain, though they are strong and the Knights train constantly to deal with this threat.

The Impossible Campaign takes place in the Country of South Ateland. Being the warmest nation, South Ateland has some of the most fertile farm land, but it comes with a dark reminder.

South Ateland sits on the boarder of the Black Mountains. Legend has it that the Dark Sorcerer Kal's cursed City of Kalloc, and his horde of Undead and Cannibalistic Twisted men still lurk deep in the mountain range.

It was Kal who cursed the mortals of Rin to rise as the undead, and as such the Black Mountains have become a name feared by all who dwell in Rin. Most brave enough to explore the mountains have vanished, and the few that have returned as gibbering mad men, and were locked away by the church.

The story takes the players from the Lord Alex's keep to Woods Deep: the town closest to the Black mountains. Woods Deep is one of Lord Alex's holdings, and he has not heard from them in over a month. To make things worse, Lord Alex's best friend Sir Roland went to investigate a fortnight ago and has gone missing.

The quest is simple. Find out what happened to Woods Deep and Sir Roland.

The Iron Lich Asphyxious

My favourite warcaster for Cryx when I was in high school was Asphyxious. Now, it wasn't because he was an amazing Warcaster, who totally changed how my army worked for better. No, it was more that he looked really cool and scary. The embodiment of Cryx was supposed to be.

This is of course the old sculpt for Asphyxious. I think I like the new one better, but this guy is pretty good. Rather than resin, he is of course solid pewter!

The Iron Lich Asphyxious' abilities mostly revolve around dealing with living models. Usually he steals their souls in the process, giving him more focus points with which to command his powers.

All in all, a great warcaster in a larger game with infantry, etc. not so good with the starter kits.

The Castle in Cobblepot's BIg Score

Part of the player's primer Elijah prepared for his D&D 5 Campaign Cobblepot's Big Score is this map of the castle. It was both given to us as players, and to our characters in game by the local crime syndicate.

Given that our quest  was to steal a valuable item from the Princess,  it is an incredibly seemed a useful map that has already gotten a lot of use!

The map itself is a re-purposed a map of Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany. It gave the castle believable feel and definitely made it easier to navigate!

Looking forward to more adventures in 5th ed and explore this super cool castle.


Written by: Andrew Gregory

Cryx Bonejacks

Way back in high school I got the Cryx Starter box for Warmachine by Privateer Press. Back then all the minis were solid pewter!

I wasn't the best painter back then, but I was pleased them at the time, and I still think they look ok!

I remember not being able to use the bonejacks very well in games. I found them just too small to really be able to do any damage.

But that may simply have been the inexperience of youth. Do you guys know how to use Bonejacks well in Warmachine?

The Second Minotaur's Maze

Continuing with the tradition. the Second Minotaur's maze was created and populated in 20 minutes. Elijah went for an ocean theme this time, and the dungeon featured many water creatures.

The limestone walls of the dungeon were half carved and half a natural cave system along a cliff, and had a population of troglodytes living below.

Raymond and Robert plowed through this dungeon with ease! There is not stopping them now!

Maze of the Minotaur Game 2

 
Game Master: Elijah
Game Edition: D&D 3.5
Players: Andrew, Dave
Starting Level: 4
Current Level:6

Quote of the Evening:

"As the Minotaur draws it's last breath, it speaks these words..." - The DM

"I kick it in the face." -Robert E. Howard.

"And it's Dead." -The DM

"I didn't care what it had to say anyway." -Robert E. Howard.

Introduction

The first Maze of the Minotaur was so awesome, that we had to keep it going one!

But this time we were a little more geared up. Dave replaced the old Raymond E. Howard with this stunning new one:

But perhaps the most exciting is the fact that we actually had a minotaur to fight! Elijah went out and bought three Minotaurs from Scibor Minis. This was the one we fought against:

Our tale begins when the two Barbarian Brothers were again summoned by the king and asked to preform a dangerous task: A second minotaur in a labyrinth in a neighbouring kingdom had grown too powerful, and like the last one, it would need to dealt with.

It was up to the brothers to save the day once again.

Scene 1 The New Dungeon. The Nymph. The Wolves. The First Key.

The journey to the town with the next labyrinth was a swift one, and the brothers found it along the coast.

This labyrinth was less of a constructed dungeon and more a series of caves and tunnels in the cliff face that had been re-purposed into a labyrinth. The ground was rough where the brothers entered, and the salty smell of the sea filled their nostrils. They wasted no time, and ran head long into the dungeon seeking their prey.

The first room they entered was not what they expected. rather than the rough stone walls, and slime covered floor, this room was full of lush foliage, as though an explosion of life had wrought its way out of the dank chambers.

The brothers searched the area, and found little other than grass and ferns, until they found a small island in the center of the room. Laying on the island was an enchantingly beautiful woman.

... It was a nymph.

Upon seeing the two Barbarians the nymph startled, opened a portal and crossed through it. The brother's couldn't take their eyes off of her! So enchanting was her beauty that they didn't even notice the wolves that had amassed behind them... Until they attacked.

The barbarians quickly dealt with the wolves, which caused a secret panel to open in the room revealing the first of three keys they would need to leave the maze.

Claiming their prize, the two left the room and continued their hunt.

Scene 2 The Skum.

The next room they found was filled with dark, foul smelling water. The two slowly crossed it, finding shallow areas to step across to the door on the other side of the chamber.

About halfway across the waters began to bubble and churn and eight horrific fish men rose from the deep.

It's called a Skum for a reason.

The horrible creatures stunned the barbarians and struck in their moment of weakness, but again the Skum we easy prey and fell quickly before their blades.

Leaving the eight stinking corpses behind them, Raymond and Robert crossed through the muck left through the next door.

Scene 3 The Troglodytes. The Minotaur Speaks. The way is Blocked.

The hall opened up into a cliff side ledge, revealing the sea ebbing and flowing below. Watching their footing, the pair of barbarians walked along the edge still hunting their prey.

On the other side of the cliff, another passage of the Labyrinth opened, and the brothers hastened their pace trying to find the way around. The journey was halted by the scrabbling of rocks, as eight troglodytes climbed up from the edge. They challenged the barbarians with their spears. it was a foolish mistake

Pathetic creatures really.

The barbarians easily dealt with wretched creatures and dumped their bodies off the ledge to warn any more of them below. They were about to continue on their way, when they saw the minotaur standing in the passage way on the opposite cliff ledge.

The Taunting began.

The Minotaur taunted the two brothers, claiming they would die in here. but the brothers paid it no mind and insulted the Minotaur's mother.

Still challenging the minotaur, the two ran along the edge trying to get at the creature, when the ledge closed off into a short hallway ending at a closed door. Robert opened it slowly, only to slam it shut when he saw the piercing eyes of what he thought was a dragon. He told his brother they needed to find another way around, but the minotaur who was still taunting them from across the chasm had something else in mind.

With a great cry, the beast slammed his fists against the wall causing the whole dungeon to shake, and rocks to come falling down from the ceiling. When the ground was done shaking, the barbarians' way back was blocked by boulder's too large for either of them to lift. They were trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Scene 4 A Rest. The Wyvern. The Second Key.

Deciding this was as safe a place as any, the two barbarians decided to rest and heal up for the night, setting up their humble camp between the Door and the rocks.

After a solid night's sleep, the two barbarians felt ready to face the dragon behind the door, and charged into the beast's chamber with a furious cry. The monster had been sleeping and the warriors caught it off guard, shocking it back into the realm of consciousness with blows from their Great Axe and Great Sword.

The beast uncurled itself and let out a great roar. This was no dragon but one of it's less powerful cousins, a Wyvern, and it had the second key around it's neck.

Honestly, it wasn't any less terrifying

The fight was long and bloody. But in the end the strength of the Howard Brothers could not be redoubted. With axe and sword they hacked the beast to pieces while dodging it's own ferocious blows.

Turns out we actually had a small dragon mini.

In the end the barbarians emerged victorious and claimed the second key from the Wyvern.

Scene 5 Attack of the Troglodytes.

Leaving the Wyvern room behind, the halls again opened into another ledge along a cliff over looking the waters below. The Barbarians were pretty sure they had scared any remaining troglodytes off, but they were wrong.

Trogs are really easy to kill.

The Troglodytes scaled the walls attacking this time in a party of ten. But their stone weaponry was not match for the Barbarian's steel and the brothers slew as easily as the first time. Again they dumped their corpse back into the ravine, hoping to warn off any further attempts.

Scene 6 The Sea Cats

Just beyond the stains of troglodyte blood, the door leading to the next chamber stood; swollen with water, and stubbornly stuck in the archway. After throwing their weight against it, the door finally gave way to the brothers, opening into another room filled with water to the ankles. This time their foe was not hidden like the skums, and two sea cats lounged on shallow rocks and readied themselves to fight as soon as the warriors entered.

Yup, they are pretty weird.

The Sea Cats rolled off of their resting places and into the water, There they moved as fast and as gracefully as sharks. There was no way the two barbarians could fight these beast in the water, and there was simply not enough solid ground to put up a good struggle. They had only one option: run.

Robert and Raymond dashed across the room, leaping from island to island, dodging the blows of the Sea Cats as they leapt from the water and tried to pull them under. But they were too fast for the cats, and managed to make their way across the room, slamming the door behind them.

Scene 7 Return of the Troglodytes.

Again the Hall opened out onto another cliff edge, and the sound of chittering echoed from the cliffs edge. The troglodytes weren't ready to give up yet. Twelve more the things climbed over the edge, brandishing their stone weapons. The barbarians laughed and charged into the fray with a mighty war cry!

There's the sea, and the Trog village below, and the battle up on the cliff.

The barbarians won the day and tossed the the twelve corpses back from whence they came. The sweetness of victory turned bitter as the adrenaline wore off and the wounds from the Troglodytes began to take their effect.

The  sheer number of troglodytes had proved enough to do some damage to the barbarian Brothers, and both work looking worse for wear. The rough cuts from the stone blades were bleeding profusely, and they would need to rest again soon. 

Scene 8 The Mimic

Seeking some refuge the brothers entered a sealed room, and found a chest in the middle of it. It seemed suspicious, but any hope of healing magic was enough to make Robert open the chest.

Unsurprisingly, the chest burst alive and attacked him knocking him to the ground as its first bite tore deeply into his flesh.

I hate mimics!

Seeing his brother's distress, Raymond swung his axe and split the creature in two, killing it instantly. The red ooze of healing potions leaked out from it. their prize had been destroyed.

Robert thanked Raymond, but he was too frustrated top listen. They had lost their only hope for healing. In anger, Raymond kicked the wall. a loud click resonated from where his foot and struck, and then a small compartment embedded in the wall  fell open. inside there were a couple of health potions and he an Robert each drank one.

With a few hit points recovered the two continued their rampage through the dungeon.

Scene 9 Facing the Minotaur. The Third Key.

Around corners they ran, and down passage ways new and old the sprinted, until they found a central chamber.

They paused for a moment to decide where to go next. but their deliberations were disrupted by a deep and rumbling laugh.

From the darkness of one of the passage ways, the minotaur stepped into view. He held a great axe in his hand, and on his belt swung a brilliant glowing sword.

With great grins on their faces, Raymond and Robert rushed at the beast swinging their blades.

*insert generic battle cry

The battle was quick, ending in four blows. 2 from Robert, Two from Raymond Turns out one standard monster manual minotaur is not powerful enough to deal with two level 6 barbarians. Live and learn.

As the minotaur lay dying, Elijah was about to give it i's final words  and here is where we our quote of the evening was born.

"As the Minotaur draws it's last breath, it speaks these words..." - The DM

"I kick it in the face." -Robert E. Howard.

*Makes attack roll*

"And it's Dead." -The DM

"I didn't care what it had to say anyway." -Robert E. Howard.


With the beast unceremoniously slain the Barbarians cried out in victory. Deciding to rest and roast the creatures flesh yet again, Raymond set about to making a fire while Robert began carving another minotaur skull bowl.

Among the Minotaur's possessions were the Third key, and a Vorpal Long Sword. Robert took the sword and lashed it to his belt. It would be nice to have a second weapon.

The smell of roasting Minotaur Flesh was enough to keep any of the labyrinth's creatures at bay.

Scene 10 Another Dryder

After a night's rest, the brothers awoke and continued their quest. They had slain the minotaur and uncovered all three keys. Now they had to find their way out of here.

The two ran around the maze finding places they had already been, when they came across a shut door. they opened to find it full of spider webs. They knew this creature. A Dryder.

Again...

Using an old tactic, Robert grappled the creature while Raymond butchered it with his axe.

Nothing would stop them now.

Scene 11 The Octopus. A Dead End. A Creative but Futile Solution.

Leaving the Drider, the path took them to another shut door. Robert kicked it opened, revealing a deep pool, across which was a high platform. Shinging up there was the godlen door with three keys. It was the way out.

The two brothers charged into the water, only to be stopped as a massive tentacle rose out from beneath.

A giant octopus!

Terrified, the two ran out of the room and slammed the door behind them. It bumped and creaked behind them as the octupus' tentacles bashed against the door.

For a while Robert and Raymond entertained the idea of cutting off the Creatures tentacles, lashing them to their arms and then using the suction cups to scale the wall.

But not having a safe place to battle the creature from, the brothers abandoned that plan and ran as fast as they could away from the room with the octopus.

Scene 12 Victory

After what seemed like hours of wandering, Robert and Raymond finally found the path that lead to the golden door and the way out.

They put their three keys in the lock and opened the door to the roaring crowds.

There, they met with the king who bestowed upon the two a powerful artifact, telling them that they would need it in their quest to slay all the minotaurs int the land.

The Axe of the Sea Reavers

With their treasures in hand the Barbarians began their journey to the enxt labyrinth

Conclusion

Next time Elijah will need to make the minotaur a lot stronger if he wants it to be a real challenge. And there will definitely be a next time!

We were given some incredible gear... Which can only mean that difficult times are ahead!

In what dungeon will we fight next? What foes will we face? And when will we find ourselves in the next Maze of the Minotaur!?

The Fish Guards

For Cobblepot's Big Score, Elijah got and painted a couple of fish guards. They are based on the same idea of Sharky's character: literal fish out of water.

They had the same, reversed Water Breathing Spell with Permanency cast on them, which let them breathe on land. These guys can be seen around the castle and town.

They definitely add to the anthropomorphic port city in which Cobblepot's Big score is set. And I am sure we will see them in the next couple games!