Prologue: Greetings reader if you are reading this then either you have slain me & pried this from my cold lifeless hands or you have stolen it from me believing it to be of great value. If it is the former I congratulate you on a task that would have been very costly, if however it is the latter then count the number of minutes, hours & days you have left until I find you, because that is how long it will take you to die---then again look behind you. Phobos wants a word with you.
I have decided to compose a journal, a diary if you will, of my adventures & exploits with my party of brave adventurers. Not only to remember those who were lost in battle but to forever note the ones who fell beneath our blades or bows. Not only that but I vowed one never to be forgotten or locked away again & this will be my testament to my rise to immortality. Either in script to inspire others who lurk in the shadows to follow my examples or in life for them to emulate.
As you may know I am now only known as Snake. A fitting title for one who writhes in the darkness striking fear in the hearts of his prey before plunging his blades into it. I have just finished laying siege to some ruins that contained both treasure & tragedy. For I lost the only other human that I could call a friend, for without him the shadows beckon & the urge to strike from them grows.
All that remained from victory was one final room. As we entered all we could see was that the floor was covered in slime but the walls were clean, too clean in fact, as those verses in dungeon lore suggested something called a gelatinous cube could be responsible.
Once again the others pandered to the MAGE’S whims & awaited him to cast his spell that would create a disk that floated above the ground (his chariot). He then bravely acted as forward scout to search the room ahead, with a rope around his waist & around a corner where upon the rope suddenly went slack!
Reacting with lightening speed I tried to pull the rope back with the aid of Guy, our human cleric, but all for naught. My Eladrin friend Talos steely eyes sought out a target ready with bow. Rhodes our Dwarven killing machine valiantly moved out to find out the fate of our friend. Ragnar, the barbaric human, gripped his weapon anxious for a kill & Berrien, an Eladrin whose skill with the bow is a wonder to watch (especially the results), moved to cover the Dwarf.
Suddenly our mission mage appeared. His scales soaked in a viscous almost transparent goo & in his state could only describe his attacker as a clear gloopy thing. At this the team covered the mage’s withdrawal but to the right Rhodes spotted other creatures & engaged them.
Steeling him-self against the horror our mage took the time to recuperate as Berrien let fly with his arrows & Guy called upon his god to strike down the attackers to the right, which I learned later were undead. I saw Berrien turn & spot an unseen opponent, prompting Talos to charge recklessly forward to confront the foe face to ---face? Casting a sun rod so that we had a target.
Suddenly the Mage’s assailant “appeared” & attacked Berrien. I reacted immediately & let loose a bolt that pierced its membranous hide. The cube of goo reached out to ensnare Berrien & Talos. Berrien dodged the strike but Talos was ensnared & drawn into its gooey innards.
From the left I could hear that Rhodes had struck a near fatal blow against the undead. As if spurred on by this Ragnar charged our gooey foe & vented his fury upon it with a mighty blow that also served to fuel his anger. Our mage cast a spell & Berrien loosed arrows but both failed to harm the creature. Throwing his gods fury against it the cleric stuck out with incantation, distracting the creature long enough for Talos to use his innate power to teleport away from his gooey prison & strike a vengeful blow against it.
I commanded Phobos to strike the creature & obediently she pierced the hide. Seemingly in retaliation it moved toward us swallowing Berrien & barely missing Ragnar. From the right the undead pressed the attack only resulting in a retributive strike that killed one & wounded another. In response to the attack on him Ragnar struck a blow that bit deeply into its gooey form.
Once again the mage’s time in the goo seemed to affect his aim but Berrien’s aim was true, as was Guys god bestowed power as it scorched our foes hide. Talos attempted to strike against our foe but it went wide a second time failing to damage it. Moving forward Phobos & I struck at the creature provoking it to try & run us down, in an attempt to get at the mage, we slice a vicious blow as it attacked leaving it on the edge of oblivion & once more as it passed by pushing it over, covering us in its life’s “blood”. Ragnar, cheated of a kill, charged the remaining undead reducing it to bits with a powerful blow.
As the sound of battle ceased to echo in the room I felt that I had learned from my experience & finally grasped this strange thing called alchemy. Others similarly had new understandings but pressing things also were on their minds.
Amongst what remained of our enemies were items that were enchanted with magic that, as our mage described, protected against certain attacks & one against falls. However these & other items were to be divided up, upon arrival at town.
Once there it was discovered a celebration of some sort was in progress. It is based on some fat annoyingly jolly man dressed in a red suit, adorned in black belt, with black boots & white gloves. I swear that when he laughed that belly moved like a bowl full of jelly, but I put that down to the fact that I was enjoying the drink aspect of this festival.
We spent a short time in town “shopping”. I decided to collect instructions on alchemical products in the hope of making them on our journey. One of the humans, Ragnar I think, wanted to get an ‘executioners’ axe’. The only on available was owned by the executioner. I toyed with the idea of getting him a “Christmas present” but thought better of it. Why should the reward of the kill go to another?
It was decided that next we should clear out a place called Kobold Hall & during the trip down to its location I practiced my alchemical arts. Upon arrival I became one with the shadow as did my Eladrin friends.
We allowed those less capable to draw fire so I could strike & fade at will. Enveloped by the woods we came upon them in a clearing. A pack of kobolds & what appeared to be lizard folk, I barely heard that their leader was talking of a union between the two clans. Gothic agreed to this. We however had other plans for our prey.
Ragnar charged forward howling with bloodlust & striking the kobold leader with a blow that turned him into a fine red mist. Following up this attack he move on to another kobold, heedless of the danger as they attacked him, killing it. I loosed an acid bolt that struck one of the lizard folk but did little to dampen his anger, Talos followed up my attack wounding him further. The enemy closed in on the mighty Ragnar, but their blows only annoyed him. The mage spat his breath at the kobolds reducing one to ash and scorching the wounded lizard folk. He then let fly with a spear of crackling energy that electrocuted both the kobolds & lizard folk --- only the folk lived. Berrien’s arrows flew wide, so using his Eladrin powers he moved to the shadows to get a better shot - - even the trees knew not that he was there.
Two of the stronger kobolds attacked the mage, barley missing him. The cleric’s wrath lashed out at them striking a near fatal blow on one. Ragnar whirled around with his blade slaying one & cleft another in two, my shot going wide I maneuvered in front of the mage hoping to draw an attack or lure the kobold into a trap Talos however had better aim & struck a potent blow against our kobold foe.
The last of the lizard folk struck out again at Ragnar but failed to hit him. The mage threw a spell at one assailant obliterating him (he can kill good), Berrien’s arrows struck a penetrating blow against the other who turned and fled, taking a lance of light from the cleric in the back. Rhodes simply walked up & slew the lizard folk as if it was nothing while Ragnar charged the fleeing kobold & buried his blade deep in its spine ending its life.
