Post by stevelortz on Apr 11, 2009 12:24:39 GMT -9
Our party had paused for the young Duchess to refresh herself, and for Master Rackham to update the notes he was taking for the official map. It wasn't our full party. Most of the porters and hireling fighters had been left at the base camp, along with the cleric and the mage, as we had intended at outset to explore only a few short corridors. As it turned out, we came upon a room of immense size. We had been walking for some time, and still couldn't tell how far we had left to go before reaching the opposite wall. There were huge columns holding up the incredibly lofty ceiling. It was like walking through an endless forest of giant redwoods formed entirely of stone. I surmised that the room had originally been a cistern constructed by giants in the days long gone before.
Lady Alianora had recently come into her inheritance, the Duchy of Oc. In her usual headstrong way, she had decided to go "on dungeon crawl" before settling down to the burdens and drudgery of rule. I had counseled that we should return to base camp and outfit for a more extensive operation before entering the room, but she insisted we should first find out exactly how big it was. I believe she was becoming daunted by the size of the room, and was considering turning back, when she called for a halt and had her serving ladies decant some wine. As we sipped the vintage, one of my trusty squires drew my attention to a movement he had detected in the distance.
Peering into the gloom, I perceived what I took to be a bull landshark nosing around at the very edge of visibility.
"Be still, everyone," I whispered, "If he doesn't notice us, he may just pass on among the columns."
One of the serving ladies giggled, failing to grasp the seriousness of our situation, and I saw the beast lift up his head.
"Shhhhhh..."
Perhaps the monster would return to nosing, his curiosity satisfied.
Just then, another of Alianora's ladies, emboldened by her companion's giggle, broke out into wanton laughter. That was it. The landshark began trotting our way.
"Marlin, my fireball staff." The trusty squire handed me my device. I raised the weapon and drew a bead on the advancing beast.
Whooshfoom! The fireball hit, but it only seemed to irritate the landshark. The bull continued to come on at double speed. A ripple of concern passed through the party.
Whooshfoom! Instead of felling the monster, the second fireball enraged it. Snorting wildly through its gill-flaps, the bull broke into a full charge. Members of my party, particularly the serving ladies, began shrieking and rushing pell-mell in terror, but not Lady Alianora. She had pluck. One of the light-bearers dropped his lantern, and its oil pooled out before catching alight.
"Perkins, the four gauge!" I dropped the fireball staff and caught the four gauge, back-bored lightning rod my other trusty squire tossed me.
As I sighted my staff, the light of the flaming oil made the monster's already eerie eyes seem to flare red. He was rushing up so fast I could smell his fetid breath.
KaaaPOW!!! A bright blue bolt arced out from the end of the staff and struck the beast in the front of one shoulder. Its leg began to buckle, and the landshark crumpled to the ground. Impelled forward by the momentum of its vast bulk, the monster ploughed across the floor, spraying detritus to left and to right. Gradually it came to a dead stop, the tip of its snout resting against the toe of my left boot. The smell of ozone and burning flesh hung heavy in the air.
"This merits another round of wine, ladies. Settle down and do your duty," the Duchess called, bringing her servants back to order.
As we sipped, Master Rackham got ready his sketching gear. When we were finished with the wine, I propped one foot up on the monster's head and held the four gauge at a jaunty angle. Lady Alianora draped herself on my right elbow, and Master Rackham began making the field sketches he would transform into his famous studio paintings after we returned to Ulbinazulbia.
Excerpt from Dungeons I Have Crawled, being a compilation of articles written by Sir Lovall Thomas, and originally published in the Proceedings of the Imperial Souterrainic Society
Lady Alianora had recently come into her inheritance, the Duchy of Oc. In her usual headstrong way, she had decided to go "on dungeon crawl" before settling down to the burdens and drudgery of rule. I had counseled that we should return to base camp and outfit for a more extensive operation before entering the room, but she insisted we should first find out exactly how big it was. I believe she was becoming daunted by the size of the room, and was considering turning back, when she called for a halt and had her serving ladies decant some wine. As we sipped the vintage, one of my trusty squires drew my attention to a movement he had detected in the distance.
Peering into the gloom, I perceived what I took to be a bull landshark nosing around at the very edge of visibility.
"Be still, everyone," I whispered, "If he doesn't notice us, he may just pass on among the columns."
One of the serving ladies giggled, failing to grasp the seriousness of our situation, and I saw the beast lift up his head.
"Shhhhhh..."
Perhaps the monster would return to nosing, his curiosity satisfied.
Just then, another of Alianora's ladies, emboldened by her companion's giggle, broke out into wanton laughter. That was it. The landshark began trotting our way.
"Marlin, my fireball staff." The trusty squire handed me my device. I raised the weapon and drew a bead on the advancing beast.
Whooshfoom! The fireball hit, but it only seemed to irritate the landshark. The bull continued to come on at double speed. A ripple of concern passed through the party.
Whooshfoom! Instead of felling the monster, the second fireball enraged it. Snorting wildly through its gill-flaps, the bull broke into a full charge. Members of my party, particularly the serving ladies, began shrieking and rushing pell-mell in terror, but not Lady Alianora. She had pluck. One of the light-bearers dropped his lantern, and its oil pooled out before catching alight.
"Perkins, the four gauge!" I dropped the fireball staff and caught the four gauge, back-bored lightning rod my other trusty squire tossed me.
As I sighted my staff, the light of the flaming oil made the monster's already eerie eyes seem to flare red. He was rushing up so fast I could smell his fetid breath.
KaaaPOW!!! A bright blue bolt arced out from the end of the staff and struck the beast in the front of one shoulder. Its leg began to buckle, and the landshark crumpled to the ground. Impelled forward by the momentum of its vast bulk, the monster ploughed across the floor, spraying detritus to left and to right. Gradually it came to a dead stop, the tip of its snout resting against the toe of my left boot. The smell of ozone and burning flesh hung heavy in the air.
"This merits another round of wine, ladies. Settle down and do your duty," the Duchess called, bringing her servants back to order.
As we sipped, Master Rackham got ready his sketching gear. When we were finished with the wine, I propped one foot up on the monster's head and held the four gauge at a jaunty angle. Lady Alianora draped herself on my right elbow, and Master Rackham began making the field sketches he would transform into his famous studio paintings after we returned to Ulbinazulbia.
Excerpt from Dungeons I Have Crawled, being a compilation of articles written by Sir Lovall Thomas, and originally published in the Proceedings of the Imperial Souterrainic Society