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Fruldrick, Halfling Haberdasher

The manling moves to his hands and knees, gazing around from atop the menhir, "Oh snap", he squeaks with one hand rubbing his sore head. "You don't have the look of unspeakable monsters that would bludgeon a peddler. Where are we?"

Nearly hyperventilating from having to relive the experience as he recalls it, "Well, I was standing in the Cinton market as a respectable haberdasher is wont to do. A reputable fellow had just parted ways with a few copper for some of my best buttons as dusk neared. As I hurried home to my Fulsa for dinner, the most dreadful beasts imaginable whacked me with rods"!

He clasps his hands as if pleading to the strangers around him, "It was horrible! You have to get me home!"

"Easy, Eldarial," says Heltel, placing a hand gently on the lady's shoulder. "Our halfling friend has had a rough go of it. It must have been the beastmen, the same ones who... You know." Heltel then takes out bandages and offers to help bind the halfling's wounds, if any.

Down in the cave, Rolfo shakes the cave water off his hands and abruptly turns to leave. "Damn these skulls. Come on, lads! There's a strange lugboat down in the bay and no welcome party to say hi to it..." The dwarf stomps away to rejoin Heltel, Eldarial, and the others.

Burt, spitting loudly, follows Rolfo: "Fine by me. I had enough of glowing eyes and floating skulls..."


Edited the last part of Heltel's action, which I had left incomplete.

Uriel has an idea. He thinks to himself." Maybe these skulls are the remains of victums of past horrors and that boat in the water might play a role in their captivity." He grabs 4-5 skulls and lines them up along the beach so as to face the long boat that is on the water. Than he backs away toward the large standing stone that the halfling rest on.

Crow, Aengus, Bronn, and Darvin all make their way to the menhir, weapons at the ready.
Darvin keeps sensing for tremors that are from other than his companions.

Fruldrick descends the menhir, and once safe on the ground nods to Heltel's words, "Beasts they were. Of the most dreadful sort".

The halfling pats around his midsection making sure that all is in order...as much as it can be. "So!", he states cheerily, "Who is showing the way home?"

"No one." says Goratrix with a tinge of finality to his voice, "We need to keep together as we explore this foul place and cannot spare men to escort you back home...you'd be welcome to join us though."

Having no intent to wander on his own, Fruldrick falls in with motley group of wanderers.

ragnboneshopper wrote:"Easy, Eldarial," says Heltel, placing a hand gently on the lady's shoulder. "Our halfling friend has had a rough go of it. It must have been the beastmen, the same ones who... You know." Heltel then takes out bandages and

Down in the cave, Rolfo shakes the cave water off his hands and abruptly turns to leave. "Damn these skulls. Come on, lads! There's a strange lugboat down in the bay and no welcome party to say hi to it..." The dwarf stomps away to rejoin Heltel, Eldarial, and the others.

Burt, spitting loudly, follows Rolfo: "Fine by me. I had enough of glowing eyes and floating skulls..."

DM: I assume Heltel intended to use bandages to aid Fruldrick?

MrHemlocks wrote:Uriel has an idea. He thinks to himself." Maybe these skulls are the remains of victums of past horrors and that boat in the water might play a role in their captivity." He grabs 4-5 skulls and lines them up along the beach so as to face the long boat that is on the water. Than he backs away toward the large standing stone that the halfling rest on.

Uriel grabs five skulls and lines them up along the beach facing the long boat. The skulls all glow brighter the closer they get to the waters edge but nothing else occurs after they are aligned on the beach.

NJWilliam wrote:Crow, Aengus, Bronn, and Darvin all make their way to the menhir, weapons at the ready.
Darvin keeps sensing for tremors that are from other than his companions.

Darvin doesn't sense any foreign tremors.


OOC: Actions?

Just to confirm, I have everyone on or around the Menhir correct? Anybody somewhere else that I missed?

"Wow, will you look at that!" Uriel, pointing at the skulls resting on the beach."These skulls seem to react more when placed near the waters edge. I have an idea." He goes and grabs four more skulls. This time he places two within the water, past the others that are resting on the beach, and the other two he places on top of the standing stone. Watching closely he take note as to which skulls now react the most.

MrHemlocks wrote:"Wow, will you look at that!" Uriel, pointing at the skulls resting on the beach."These skulls seem to react more when placed near the waters edge. I have an idea." He goes and grabs four more skulls. This time he places two within the water, past the others that are resting on the beach, and the other two he places on top of the standing stone. Watching closely he take note as to which skulls now react the most.

Uriel notes that the two skulls within the water glow the brightest and the skulls on the menhir glow the least.

"Would ya look at that, Martha," says Rolfo. "Good thinkin, Uriel. But what now?"

"There is some curse at work. Maybe the souls of the dead skulls are at anchor on boat yonder. If we break whatever magic is holding them to this place, perhaps the boat will be able to carry the departed to their final rest."

"Let's have done with it then," says Burt, and he smashes the nearest skull with the butt end of his spear. His nearby companions start as if to protest, but then watch and wait to see if there is any obvious change, remembering the fleeing spirits when the skulls were smashed before.

ragnboneshopper wrote:"Would ya look at that, Martha," says Rolfo. "Good thinkin, Uriel. But what now?"

"There is some curse at work. Maybe the souls of the dead skulls are at anchor on boat yonder. If we break whatever magic is holding them to this place, perhaps the boat will be able to carry the departed to their final rest."

"Let's have done with it then," says Burt, and he smashes the nearest skull with the butt end of his spear. His nearby companions start as if to protest, but then watch and wait to see if there is any obvious change, remembering the fleeing spirits when the skulls were smashed before.

When Burt smashes the nearest skull the green essence floats out past the boat off into the distance to an island you hadn't noticed before. You can see a portion of what looks to be a large ziggurat but no other detail can be gleamed as it's cut off by the cave wall. The essence floats toward that structure and out of your view.

"Wonders never cease." says Goratrix, "Who would guess that such structures would lie hidden beneath the ruined keep?"

Seeing that the smashed skulls released their spirits Uriel heads back into the cave area and gahters all the skulls. He then places them on the waters edge. After saying a few prays he smashes all of them."Be free spirits and my your souls find rest away from this cursed place."

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/v ... dwnld-home

Fruldrick watches in fascination and horror as the skulls are shattered and the spirits race to the ziggarut. "Only an evil fate can be awaiting us. This beach is damned as are these skulls".

"Hold there, lad, what ya be doin?" Rolfo says to Uriel. "I dunno if breakin them all is best or not, tils we know what lies over yonder..." He watches the boat at anchor in the bay, nervously.


Heltel climbs the menhir again and looks up and down the shoreline for any sign of a boat.


Burt ignores Rolfo and helps Uriel smash the skulls.

MrHemlocks wrote:Seeing that the smashed skulls released their spirits Uriel heads back into the cave area and gahters all the skulls. He then places them on the waters edge. After saying a few prays he smashes all of them."Be free spirits and my your souls find rest away from this cursed place."

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/v ... dwnld-home

It takes a while but Uriel gathers all of the skulls on the beach. Uriel ignores the dissenters and along with Burt smashes all of the skulls. The same thing happens as with the previous as the little green wisps float off towards the ziggurat ahead.