Road to Kiev, Chapter Fouteen

Amphitheater, We Meet Again
Sunday, October 23, 987 AD

We continue, once again, towards the ruins. Along the way, Thalia hunts adders for Nicolae and finds six, making Nicolae a very happy, albeit very disgusting, sorcerer. When we reach the ruins, we see that the Retriever carcass is gone. Instead of being paranoid and assuming that it has come back to life like we always do, we assume the elves have taken it. We go into the eastern building to get two more apples and then go into the amphitheater dungeon. We find a room that seems to be a waiting room of sorts. There are benches and an empty basin in the corner for the washing of hands, we assume. We continue exploring and find another throne (for the forgetful, the first throne was in the very first room, which was encountered before I started chronicling these adventures) in a room full of shadows. Not shadows like, hey, there's a light flickering and my shadow's on the floor. Shadows like, hey, they're hitting me. After a few attempts with making and changing light sources, we decide just to hit them. We defeat them and go to rest in the waiting room of before.

The End of the Amphitheater and an Old... Friend?
Monday, October 24, 987 AD

Upon awaking, there are three things that have changed since the night before: Ivan, Catarina, Nicolae, Wong, and Thalia have all gotten sick because we stupidly left the cursed apples in the room with us; Thalia has a thin film on her face; and, the basin in the corner suddenly has water in it. We leave the room and finish exploring the amphitheater, finding nothing else of interest except for a few jail cells where one was supposed to apparently choose the method of death for oneself, the skeleton of a cat creature (you remember), and the fact that there is no tunnel to the Crimea here (we leave the mystery of the thrones and refilling basin for never). We leave and are about to go rest in the arch when we see the driver that had brought Caleb to us dragging himself across the ruins. We restrain Wong from killing him outright ("It's your fault I'm not as powerful as I should be, you bastard!"), and question him. He identifies himself as Conrad:

Reynaldo: What's wrong, dude?
Conrad: She's dead. Something's attacking us... me.
Reynaldo: Where's your wagon?
Conrad: Gone. Her head was missing... oh God...
Reynaldo: Who's head? Your companion's? (Conrad nods his head).

Nicolae sleeps Conrad and we check him. We find two puncture wounds on his neck and Ivan and Reisha gasp in recognition.

Ivan: Vampyr!
Reisha: He is right! This man is lost to us. Kill him before it is too late.
Reynaldo: Done and done.
Edward: Hold, my friends. He is not gone yet. If we protect him, he shall survive.
Ivan: There is no protection from a Vampyr. They take what they want.
Wong: Besides, we're about to go into dark elf country again. Do you really think we should endanger him like that?
Reynaldo (sharpening dagger): Say the word.
Gunther: We're sleeping out here anyway. We should protect him for the night at least.
Wong: Are you retarded? What part of Vampyr don't you understand?
Thalia: I'm with Gunther. Take him for the night.
Reisha: Once he turns, we will all be lost.

We all sleep in the arch. During the second watch, something flaps outside, but does not enter the arch in anyway. I assume it was because we did not invite the creature in.

The Consort and Making Treasures
Tuesday, October 25, 987 AD

In the morning, the discussion about what to do with Conrad continues.

Reynaldo: Kill him!
Gunther: You know, you could hire him.
Reynaldo: Hire him!

After some negotiation, Conrad becomes Reynaldo's hireling for 28 gold pieces a month (to be paid at the end of the month), plus food and healing. We steel ourselves and go down into the Elven Underground again. On our way to the entrance into the city, we are told to stop.

Guard: Hold, you have entered our city.
Reynaldo: What? No we haven't. Your city starts over there.
Guard: No, it starts back there.
Reynaldo: Can I talk to someone with some authority?
Guard: Sure. One of you must step forward.
Reynaldo: Can it be two of us? My leader and myself, since I'm the only one who knows the language.
Guard: Sure.

Reynaldo and Gunther step forward and two arrows fly towards Gunther.

Reynaldo: What the hell?
Guard: That's what happens when two step forward. I said only one.
Reynaldo: But you said it was okay!
Guard: Keep coming.
Reynaldo: Listen mutt, get me your CO or we're gonna smash you.
Guard (laughs): He's coming.

After a few minutes, the Consort comes.

Consort: You've broken our deal.
Reynaldo: No we haven't. Your city starts over there.
Consort: We've expanded since then. Our city now starts back there.
Reynaldo: We were not told. This isn't our fault.
Consort: Again, the same two strings.
Reynaldo: We are trying very hard to avoid a misunderstanding. Do you have any idea how much self-control it's taking my friend here not to attack those who attacked him?
Consort: Why are you here?
Reynaldo: We've come to ask... for a favor.
Consort: And what are you giving my mistress?
Reynaldo: I'm sorry, what now?
Consort: The gift for my mistress. You've come to ask for a favor, I assume you've brought a gift in return?
Reynaldo: I don't think you understand what 'favor' means.
Consort: If I bring you giftless to Esthalin, she'll kill you. With a gift, you have a chance. She may even grant you your favor. Go, and find a gift. When you return, I suggest you hold the gift in front of you so that our trigger-happy guards don't perforate you.

We leave the newly-expanded city and think about what to do. Edward comes up with a brilliant plan. He will stoneshape a kiln and we will make a gift, as well as a religious artifact for Christian purposes. We decide to make Esthalin a golden spider, with eight jeweled eyes (the jewels are those that they took from the bandits way back when). The body will be a rock covered in gold because, frankly, we really don't like her very much. We decide to make the religious artifact a golden cross set with jewels (450gp worth of those jewels come from Reynaldo's pocket and he weeps bitterly). Both items are made in short order. Then we rest.

What's a Finger and Some Fear Between Friends?
Wednesday, October 26, 987 AD

We go back down and much the same happens as before with the guards, only they don't shoot this time. The Consort comes back.

Consort: Okay kid, let's go.
Reynaldo: Just me?
Consort: Or anybody, but it can only be one of you.
Reynaldo: I guess it's me. Curses for knowing this language!

They leave. The rest of us mill about for about half an hour, until both the Consort and Reynaldo return. Reynaldo is sans golden spider and visibly shaken, but the Consort bids us follow him and we all do so. He leads us to where we assumed he was going to: the other leg of the city.

Consort: Okay, here you are. Go and never return. We will be taking a few steps to insure that, but nothing you have to worry about. Goodbye.

We go down the corridor and it's webbed behind us.

Wong (laughing): That won't keep us out.
Consort (from behind the web): Traig.

Reisha, Thalia, Anna, Reynaldo, and Caleb take off down the hall. Ivan tackles Thalia and holds her down. Edward casts hold person and catches only Reynaldo. Nicolae sleeps Caleb again. Anna and Reisha tumble past everybody and run. Gunther takes off after Reisha as Anna falls into a trap and impales herself. Edward holds her as well, and takes off after Reisha who has also fallen into a trap and impaled herself, but continues to squirm. Edward holds her and everybody is tied up until the fear wears off. Reynaldo curses wildly. We explore the area and find more traps that we can avoid. We go down a very long corridor with an upward incline and find a dead end. We do find a door and open it, only to have a very large sharp ball come out and nearly squish us. It turns out this was the trap that had its trigger long ago. Apparently, the trap was triggered at the bottom of the incline and then this ball would come rolling down and squish us all. This becomes much more apparent when we all get to the other side of the ball and let it roll down. It crashes with great speed at the end of the corridor. We then search for hours for a secret door. We find one and decide to rest before continuing on.

At this point, Reynaldo tells us about his second solo experience in the Underground City.

[Ed. note-- Once again, Reynaldo takes over writing duties for a short stint.]

The Consort took me through the city to meet that crazy, kooky girl we love to hate.
"So, does she know we came before?" I asked.
"I thought it better not to mention your last visit."
"Probably for the best."
We continued walking until we reached Esthalin's throne room. She bade me enter. I held the golden spider ahead of me with one hand and placed the other hand on the shaft of my Axe behind me, just in case.
"You have returned to me, Reynaldo," she said.
"Well, not really. Circumstances have forced us to break the deal we made earlier so that I may ask you for a favor." She took the spider from my hand.
"Where did you get this?" she asked.
"There was a cave, and some owls... that's not really important. I give it and the Retriever's head to you so that you may show mercy and grant my favor."
"What is your favor?"
"We need to use the tunnel that goes under the sea."
"Hurm..." She looked at me as if I were an entree instead of a plaintiff.
She bent down and whispered in my ear, "Remember. I know what you have done. If they find out, they will kill you for it." I assumed she meant putting on the cloak, but she could have been making something up. Her real point was that I lived or died on her whim.
"I will grant your favor for one more small little item. I know that you will leave me forever so I would like to keep something of yours close to me forever."
I cursed my charm and good looks and my inability to attract sane women.
"I would like your finger. Any one will do."
"But that would fuck up my... how about three toes instead?"
"I ask for one small finger and you offer me toes!?"
"Okay, okay. But you will lead us to the tunnel and not hurt us, right?"
"Yes."
I held out my left pinky and she took it.
As the Consort and I left, she implied that she would be using my finger to make another one of me. That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

A Skeleton Army
Thursday, October 27, 987 AD

We went through the secret door we had found the day before and stepped into a warren of interconnecting passageways and were surrounded by a skeleton army. We made short work of them. Conrad even got to take a shield from one of the skeletons. We noticed that not a single skeleton had any hands. The swords and shields had been strapped on the arms. We continued exploring until we heard a rustling behind us. We saw a bunch of skeleton hands rush towards us. We made ready for battle.

End Chapter Fourteen