Rise of the Runelords Session 22: Gnome Heaven

When night fell, Melissah transformed herself into a massive owl, and with a great deal of scuffling and rope the adventurers secured themselves to her legs and back. No one was really comfortable, but the flight to Fort Rannick was brief. The lowering clouds filled the air with unpleasant drizzle, and the night was about as black as it was possible to get, but Nevis still took the precaution of casting invisibility over the group as they passed almost soundlessly over the stockade and landed with a painful but muffled thump on the lip of the aerie.

The knots had managed to work their way around and become soaked with water, so after some straining and cursing the adventurers and Black Arrows cut themselves free and scrambled away from the ledge, allowing Melissah to transform again. She shook herself violently and patted her damp hair away from her face.

“Well, that was an . . . experience,” Iozua said from somewhere in the invisibility spell. “Thank you, Melissah.”

“You could have cleaned your boots,” the druid remarked somewhat crossly.

“HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP THAT WAS AMAZING!” Nevis announced in a stage whisper that could probably be heard back in Turtleback Ferry. “First we went swoosh then swoosh!” The gnome was invisible, but the flapping noises of rapid hand movements and dancing footsteps across the ledge were clearly audible. Iozua grunted as one of Nevis' flailing fists nailed him in a sensitive spot.

“I cannot keep up with your technical terminology,” the wizard snapped, trying to detach the still-flailing gnome from his groin.

Melissah bit her lip to avoid laughing out loud. “Er, I'm glad you approve, but if you keep making so much noise the ogres will hear us.”

The path descended the cliffside and then ran into a tunnel which ended, unexpectedly, in a large pile of rubble that even Nevis probably could not squeeze through.

“Was this here before?” Shalelu hissed.

There was a moment of silence as Jakandros shook his head, then remembered no one could see. “No, the ogres must have collapsed it somehow.”

“Clearing this rubble will be noisy,” Foss said. Everyone listened hard, but no one could make out any sounds of activity on the far side of the rubble. There didn't seem to be any help for it, so they started to dig.

After almost a quarter of an hour, they'd cleared enough of the rocks and dirt to look out at the courtyard of Fort Rannick. Melissah peeped out cautiously. There were two outbuildings to the east of the tunnel, on her left, and far across the courtyard an ogre stood by the gate, industriously polishing what appeared to be a skull to a mirror finish.

“This way,” Jakandros whispered, quietly kicking up some dust to indicate the wall just to the right of the tunnel. A concealed door in the wall slid open, and the group jostled through into the narrow tunnel. Jakandros closed the door behind them, and with no enemies in sight, Nevis let the invisibility spell lapse.

A side tunnel opened ahead, while the main tunnel turned south. Vale gestured at the side room while Foss glanced inside, seeing numerous niches in the walls and ancient, dessicated bodies scattered carelessly on the ground.

“We used to bury our brothers and sisters in here,” Vale said quietly. “Until we ran out of room.”

Jakandros nodded. “Rather than expand the crypt, we started sending off our fallen kin in pyres and scattering the ashes.”

“Well, that answered my first question,” Nevis said.

“It sounds like nothing we need to disturb, then,” Melissah added.

Foss shook his head and moved forward, looking at the scattered and wrecked bodies. “These should be put in their proper resting places.” Nevis gave him a vigorous thumbs-up, and the rangers moved to help him, spreading out over the room.

A chill filled the air and a dark figure erupted from the ground, lashing out at Foss, its spectral hands passing through his armor and flesh. He shivered and gasped and retaliated with both axes, viciously, before anyone else could even move. The weapons found something in the ghostly form that they could harm, and with a hideous wail the specter vanished.

“What was that?” Melissah asked. “Foss, are you all right?”

“I don't know,” Foss hissed, “but I think it cursed me. I don't feel so good.”

“It must have been a specter,” Jori said, hurrying forward. “Usually it's a human who was murdered.”

“We may need a new policy of staying out of crypts,” Iozua said.

“It's okay, buddy, you still look decidedly super-awesome!” Nevis announced. Jori cast a spell that eased some of whatever was afflicting Foss. The color came back to his skin and he breathed a little easier. He then stomped back into the cave and began hauling the bodies back into their slots. Looking a bit embarrassed, the rangers hurried to help him. When they were finished, they followed the tunnel south, to where a small chasm split the ground. The walls were studded with flashy but worthless rock crystal. A narrow, creaking rope-and-plank bridge crossed the gap.

“This won't hold more than one person at a time,” Jakandros warned.

“It'll hold me!” Nevis announced and trotted forward across the planks. Halfway across, she stopped abruptly and peered over the edge, completely oblivious to the drop. “GUYS! GUYS! THERE'S A BODY WITH STUFF DOWN THERE!” The gnome began to hop up and down, causing the bridge to shake and the entire cavern to shower down dust.

“Great!” Iozua said. “LATER. It's not, you know, going anywhere.”

Nevis was not to be deterred. She scampered across the bridge and leaned over the edge. “I have rope! Foss, c'mere and lower me down!”

“Please, let's not do that,” Iozua said as the half-elf fighter edged across the bridge.

“But . . . treasure?” Nevis pouted, bottom lip quivering.

Melissah sighed and leaned over to the wizard. “If you really want me to, I can fly down there and get whatever it is to keep Nevis happy.”

Nevis was now dancing rapidly from foot to foot. “I mean, we say wait for later, but what if we have to have a HUGE battle with some ogre mage who has bound his unholy evil soul to the keep! Then upon his death the place begins to collapse! Then when is our 'later'? We'll be lucky to escape with our lives intact! I mean, I know hat is the real treasure but still, gold is the only gold that's gold!”

Kaven looked at Jakandros. “She has got a point. This IS currently a villain lair. And those DO blow up.”

Jakandros shook his head. “You've been reading too many of those torrid copper tales.”

“Don't encourage her,” Vale grunted.

Iozua threw up his hands at Nevis's continued antics and gestured to Melissah, who shook her head and slowly rolled her eyes. She then transformed herself into a whirling cloud and flew into the chasm, where she retrieved a small pack.

“OOOO lookit that!” Nevis squeaked.

Returning to the cavern above, Melissah made a small bow and handed Nevis a brilliant silvery short sword and a bag containing, yes, some gold and a few garnets.

“OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH YOU ARE THE BEST!!!”

“Your approval brings great joy to my declining years,” Melissah said. “Now can we move on?” Without waiting for an answer, she headed south while the rest of the group finished crossing the bridge one at a time.

The next opening in the cavern contained, to no great surprise, a couple of large, striped lizards that looked up and hissed angrily. Pavander the badger snapped at one and Melissah rushed forward to hit it with her staff. Two solid whacks finished it, and Foss casually sliced the other lizard into three pieces.

Jakandros shook his head. “I see why you didn't have much trouble with the Grauls. These two must have gotten separated from the colony under the keep.”

“It's a shame, but ferocity is their nature,” Melissah said.

Nevis was prancing around waving the mithril sword. “Guys, you think it's like detection magic? Like it might glow when goblins or orcs are nearby?”

“I'm sure you'll find out if you take it to Sandpoint,” Jori said dryly.

“Oh, I'm gonna, Jori! You better believe it!”