The Death of Rohindron

Written account by Steve Buckley -  May '07

 

Deb – Kiersta – Human fighter

Don – Rohindron – Human fighter (Dagger specialist)

Jim – Ky – Mage

Nik – Elarin – Fighter (Archer)/Thief

Steve - Brom/Trip – Cleric/Ranger *(see below)

 

The module went pretty much as planned.  Nothing too outlandish or dramatic, other than a tricky combat with a roper that they survived with some lucky rolls of theirs and terribly unlucky rolls for the roper combined with a very ingenious method of finishing him off.

 

The second to last level had a few rumors of a dragon in the last level.  There was quite a bit of speculation on whether or not it would be a good idea to carry on to the last level to face such a terrible adversary.  Eventually it was decided that they could not let the hint of a dragon deter them from at least checking out the final level of this quite successful crawl.

 

They headed down to the final level.  The way to the bottom was a one hundred and fifty foot climb down a chain ladder beside a waterfall.  The rumors seemed like they might be unfounded at first glance despite the footprints of a massive reptile of some type, because they were able to explore a vast part of the cavern system unimpeded.

 

They explored the western side of the cavern completely and found nothing and then decided to carry on to the eastern side.  They sent the heaviest guy across the unsteady bridge first to test it.  He was lashed on to keep him from being swept away into in the fast moving water and it proved to be a wise security measure.  He was too heavy and broke the bridge.  After they retrieved him, they decided to go back up a level and grab a door to use to help cross the bridge.  They returned quickly and set the door in place.  It wasn’t perfect, but after some slight adjustments, it fit into place with very little wobbling.

 

The far side of the bridge revealed a wide ledge traversing around the side of a huge underground lake.  Proceeding cautiously, everything looked good until they came to a point where the ledge broke up into small rocks.  It would be tricky, but a quick glance revealed that it wasn’t a far hop to where the ledge was complete again.  They made minimal preparations and started the hop from one rock to another to cross the break in the ledge.  About halfway across, a splash in the water right in front of Rohindron caught everyone’s attention.  The dragon had found them!

 

Rohindron recoiled at the sight of the black dragon maw splashing up out of the water, and even more at the blast of corrosive breath that washed over him.  Incredible luck saved him and Kiersta (Deb) from half of the damage (Low levels are notoriously bad with Dragon Breath saves, but they BOTH got natural 20’s (Odds of that happening: 1/400)).  Elarin (Nik) unfortunately was not so lucky.  The blast dropped her in her tracks.

 

Rohindron attacked immediately, and scored a nice hit, but the dragon quickly dropped back below the black waters.  The panic of the initial attack sent Kiersta scrambling back for decent fighting ground, and Ky (Jim) and Brom (Steve) grabbed Elarin and dragged her back in a retreat over our makeshift bridge, Brom muttering a quick prayer to his god to patch Elarin’s worst wounds.

 

 

Kiersta and Rohindron prepared for the assault on the dragon, and faced the ripples of water where the dragon’s maw had only recently assailed them.  All of a sudden a blast of water and the sound of splintering wood came from behind them!

 

Where their allies had just run, the fighters twirled around to see the dragon step out of the water onto their ledge beside where their door/bridge used to be, their panicked allies spinning and staring in disbelief.  With few options remaining, they attacked full force.  The fighters swung in violently with some very successful blows.  The dragon was hurt!  Maybe they could survive this encounter!  Could they maybe earn the title of Dragon Slayer?  The dragon returned the favor with two nasty slashes to Kiersta and a very severe bite on Rohindron, but the two still stood their ground.  Behind the main battle, Brom attempted to repair a seriously injured Elarin.  Ky decided he would try something to give the fighters a chance to retreat if the battle turned bad and pulled out a scroll and started to cast.  Elarin, on one knee and delirious from pain, but knowing her friends were fighting for their very lives, took a mad shot with her bow that went a bit wide.

 

The fighters lunged in for another attack, and were again successful, piercing the giant beast’s hide.  In an unexpected move, the dragon lurched back into the water!  Ky, in the meanwhile, had cast a spider climb on himself, and climbed over the area the bridge used to be and dangled a rope for the fighters to swing across.  They wasted no time in swinging across, and a very sensible retreat was performed, in response to Elarin’s very precarious heath.

 

They climbed as quickly as possible.  Some of them were just glad to still be alive after the encounter, but some of them were still burning with the idea of the battle with a dragon.

 

Returning to the room they had claimed, they checked our situation and found themselves to be better off than they had first thought.  Nothing major was lost, and a few healing spells later the feeling of imminent death was gone.  They prepared themselves for the night and settled in.  Copious amounts of wine, and a good meal later, and they were well on our way to sleep.  The females were both in rough shape, so the males prepared a long schedule to allow everyone to get a good night sleep and yet not let their guard down totally.

 

The night went by without incident, and in the morning Rohindron had prepared a nice breakfast, and even better, the cleric had prepared a nice batch of spells for the ones who were still injured.  They were feeling pretty good and so, they were considering their situation.  General consensus was that it was time to leave, but Rohindron could not escape the idea that the dragon had been hurt.  Why did it desert the battle otherwise?  Leaving now would give it the time it needed to heal.  Rohindron decided to speak up.

 

He felt they should return.  The last time, it had surprised them right?  This time they would attack in formation and with the fighters in the front backed up by the archer and mage, they would be formidable!  Sure the cleric was out of healing spells, but was he not a ranger also?  He could fight.  It was a bold strategy, and it sounded like it could work.

 

They decided to put the idea to a vote.

 

Rohindron was ready.  He wanted the Dragon Slayer mantle, and he was sure his idea could work.  He was an ‘Aye’ for sure, but he stipulated that it was all or nothing.  If one person wanted to abstain from going, then it was off.

 

Brom/Trip was a split decision.  Brom feared for his life but Trip believed in the plan; however he made it very clear that one good hit would probably either finish him, or send him out of battle.  At the very least he would be forced to the back ranks.

 

Elarin had been seriously wounded but she had recovered.  She felt she could enter battle, provided that she remained in the back ranks.  Maybe it could be done.  She wasn’t in it solely for the glory though.  “Dragon hordes are the stuff of legend!”

 

Kiersta was against it.  She thought it too dangerous.  In our discussions Elarin had said that one hit could kill her, and in fact, that was proven yesterday!  Brom had stated that one hit could finish him as well.  Mages are not known to be too tough, so how could the mage fair better than these two?  She herself was not fully healed, and they had no remaining heals available from the cleric.  It sounded like folly and she was definitely a ‘Nay’, but she said that she would not hold back the entire group.

 

Ky saw the danger in it.  Certainly Rohindron was correct.  The dragon had left the battle wounded yesterday.  Elarin’s wounds could not be ignored though.  She had taken a bad hit.  Today he was much better prepared spell wise, but Brom was now without any spells.  He was torn, but after much deliberation he decided to give it a try.

 

A new door/bridge was prepared.  This time, spikes were driven through it so that if the dragon decided to smash it away, it would get a tail full of spikes.  Plans were made with what would be done when they were down again in the lair.  The door was lowered down in advance of all of them.  A lantern was tied to the waist of the mage and lowered 30 feet down so that the climbers at the bottom of the ladder could see.

 

Rohindron took the lead.  He was confidant in their chances and was the father of the strategy.  Next down the ladder was Kiersta.  She was not going to desert her friends, and would fight with a strong arm.  Elarin followed with dreams of dragon guarded treasure on her mind.  Next was the mage attached to the light source dangling 30 feet below him.  Finally was Brom, even still arguing silently with Trip about the wisdom of their actions.

 

In tight formation they descended in the darkness.  As quiet as they could they climbed down the long chain ladder.  Rohindron, knowing they were nearing the bottom of the climb looked down and could just see the bottom of the shaft in the light of their lantern.  The plans for the attack leapt to his mind for the preparations that would soon begin. 

 

What was that?

 

He looked back down in time to see the dragons head and neck snaking out from the waters edge to rest right below them, its green eyes glowing with grim satisfaction.  He still had thirty feet to climb down!  The dragon’s maw slowly opened and black ichorous breath flumed upwards engulfing them all!  Here they hung, precariously, all in a perfectly straight, tightly grouped line.  Everyone took the blast.

 

Brom, at the top of the ladder didn’t even see it coming.  Searing pain washed over his body and agony wracked his back and legs.  Only one thought was in his head now.  CLIMB!  Surely all his friends were dead.

 

Ky was next.  His skin was seared, and as Brom’s feet disappeared up the ladder, he followed as fast as he could.

 

Elarin remembered her meeting from yesterday.  Why did she think this was a good idea?  Escape!  Her strength was waning in her aching limbs from the damage of yesterday, and again it washed over her.  She would be useless in this fight.  She must flee!

 

Kiersta started to climb as well.  The lantern was already climbing up beside her.  She knew they were in trouble and could only hope to try and escape.

 

Rohindron had been a fool.  Why did he think he could dictate the grounds that this battle would happen on?  He was in the dragon’s own lair!  He had doomed his friends to death, but perhaps he could give them a chance.  This dragon was hurt!  If he was very lucky, maybe he could kill it, or at least injure it badly enough to give them all a chance to flee!  He started down the ladder as fast as he could go.

 

The bulk of them climbed.  They climbed as fast and as hard as they could.  Unknown to them, far down below in the darkness, a desperate battle commenced.

 

Rohindron hit the floor hard and fast.  He knew his chances were slim, but he would do what he could.  He lunged with both daggers and the first sunk deep!  The second only scratched across the surface of the onyx scales.  He hadn’t done enough.  Could he survive to get in one more blow?  The dragon swiped at him with its claws and missed!  Faint hope glimmered, and was deftly extinguished as its other claw came smashing into his side, sending him reeling into the wall of the cave.  Through the blurred vision of blood and pain he looked at his massive foe as its head came down, maw gaping wide.

 

And he was gone. 

 

Trip pulled himself up over the lip of the cavern and didn’t even look back.  He was through the doorway to safely but still did not stop.  Ky came up behind him quickly, ignoring the pain of the burns and scrambling at the heels of Trip, the lantern rope dangling and the lantern smashed on the rocks of the cliff.  Directly behind Ky, Elarin flew up the cliff.  She could climb much faster, so the climb seemed doubly long to her.  Tight behind the mage, she was up over the lip of the cave and down the comfort of the safe tight tunnel. 

 

Bringing up the rear was Kiersta.  The smashed and useless lantern clattered by her head as she lifted herself up over the lip of the cliff and dove into the passageway, grabbing the door and looking back to let Rohindron through before she shut it tight.  But Rohindron did not come up behind her.  She waited and listened, and still he was not coming up.  The chains of the ladder were disturbingly still in the very dim light here.  The roar of the waterfall was loud, and yet the chamber seemed far too quiet.

 

All of a sudden, the air was rent with a deafening roar from far below.  The sounds of the waterfall seemed inconsequential.  Suddenly, the pitons and links holding the chain ladder pulled tight!  Was this Rohindron at last?  Hope quickly turned to shock as the links screamed with the sounds of squealing metal under great strain and the chain was stretched to it limit.  A quick pop, and the left link broke, and the left side of the ladder fell.  A half second later, the right link popped, and the ladder disappeared into the blackness. 

 

Kiersta knew now that hope was lost.  With a grim and heavy heart, she quickly shut the portal, and sank to the floor of the corridor…

 

 

 

*Brom and Trip Bowen were twin brothers.  Trip was foolhardy and Brom was not.  Trip wandered the lands and wanted to be an adventurer.  Brom stayed at home and preferred the quiet life.  In his travels, Trip became a man of the woods and learned many things, but in his travels he was bitten by a were-rat.

 

Trip managed to make his way back to the Bowen household with residual memory of who he was.  Brom immediately caged his sick brother and set about trying to find a way to undo the damage.  Many weeks went by with Brom either finding people who said it was impossible, or finding people who would only charge far more than Brom could afford.

 

Finally Brom encountered a mage who said that he could do it for the money that Brom had managed to raise.  He said that the procedure was risky and unpredictable, but he would do his best.  He said that because Brom was Trip’s twin, he could use Brom’s humanity as a template to separate what was human in Trip, and what was rat.

 

On the night that the procedure was performed, Brom was strapped to a bed on Trip’s right side, and a common rat was strapped to a table on his left.  Something went awry as things sometimes do with wild magic.  To a very limited degree, it worked.  Trip’s mind was whole once again, but somehow the three creatures converged into one.  Brom became the human form, Trip was the were-rat form and the third form was not the dire rat that was usual with were-rats, but was a standard rat.

 

The cruel twist of fate sent Brom into the priesthood of Illmater.  His adventuring with Trip is part of the suffering he goes through to become stronger and closer to his deity. 

 

I don’t know why I went and made such a convoluted character, but he’s been fun.  I might try to PCify him, just because I like him.