Labyrinth Lord Recap

Hey there. Yep, it's time again for yet another update of the ongoing saga of the all-girl adventuring crew. ;-)

The PCs / Players:
Isabella - Female Human Fighter level 2 (my wife)
Ember - Female 1/2 elven Cleric level 2 (youngest daughter)
Safira - Female Ice Elf level 2 (eldest daughter)

If you remember, we stopped last time w/ our hearty adventurers patching up wounds and constructing a stretcher for Belinda, their woman at arms, after a particularly vicious jumping-spider attack. Poor Belinda is paralyzed and can't move a muscle, so the decision to exit and get her some help is reached. Out they go.

On the way out they come around a corner and are face to face with a horde of rats. They're squealing and swarming over what appears to be some type of small deer that has unfortunately wandered down the stairs. The women watch for about a second before Isabella pulls out a flask of oil, lights it, and tosses it on the carpet of moving teeth... It ignites and scatters the horde, burning rats are sent skreeling and running everywhere.

Cautiously they move up the stairs, it's night out and they're aware that with the dark comes the "*big nasties".

*DM NOTE: My daughter's exact line.

Nothing is encountered and the party takes refuge amongst the broken-down walls of an outbuilding. After about an hour and a half, the poison finally runs its course through Belinda's veins. She's up and about. Sore...but alive, and happy for it.

Food is running out and torches are now in short supply, so a joint decision is made to high tail it back to Botkinburg. But first they must retrieve the stone chest containing the electrum pieces as well as the corpse of their fallen henchman.

After a light breakfast, (they're now conserving rations in anticipation of trouble on the way back to Botkinburg) the party descends back into the catacombs beneath the Ruined Abbey. Traversing the halls they come to the room wherein they had the jumping-spider encounter. And as Isabella steps around the corner, 3 black arrows come winging out of the darkness. The shafts shatter upon the stone right next to the warrior woman's head, causing her to flinch back and take cover around the corner.

Safira and the Krieger brothers come to the fore with bows drawn...Soon the sound of whirring arrows fills the air as both sides partake in a cat and mouse game of archery. The goblins are appallingly poor marksmen and they eventually fall to the superior skills of the adventurers. 2 of the 3 goblins go down with arrows protruding from various vital points. The remaining goblin throws down his bow, and screams that he's giving up.

After tying him up and questioning him, the party finds out that indeed Melchert had found the location of the key but couldn't find access to it. Once the party had slain the last work detail, he sent his remaining goblins to wait in ambush, just in case they came back.

The goblin also knows where the black door is and that Melchert guards himself with undead! This frightens the party considerably and they all agree that they must retreat from this dank dungeon and hastily make their way to Botkinburg for resupply.

Instead of heading to the toll (troll) bridge they cut straight across the wilderness in the hopes that they can cross the Hruesen river with the magic flute they possess. Nothing untoward occurs on their journey and the party eventually reaches the shores where they utilize the flute to make their way across.

By nightfall they're in the town of Botkinburg, and after a warm meal, and a little cleaning up, they relax and talk shop. A few days in town allows ample time to restock and to ask around regarding the bone scroll tube and its contents: A map. Upon the map is a written one single sentence with an arrow pointing to an area of the Black Tooth Ridge. The line reads: "Redoubt of the Horned One".

Turns out that most villagers know of the "Horned One". He's the bogeyman and was also a ruler of this area long long ago. No one knows if he's partially divine or if he's just some type of uber powerful creature but the rumor is that he was never slain. Only driven back and forced into hiding.

The party rolls up the map and places it back into the tube. Now stocked up, the next task is to hire some more folks to come along on an adventure. Unfortunately they've nearly run the little town out of available henchmen...and the fact that most of them come back dead won't help negotiations. But that's for next time.

Stay tuned...