Scene Four - Back to Mistamere
Title Card: Threshhold, Vatermont 25, 1000 AC
Opening credits In This Moment - "In The Air Tonight" [Official Lyric Video]
Location: Exterior, Juggling Ogre Tavern
Weather: Rain continues
The troupe gathers in front of the inn, under the protection of its sloping eaves. Felonious hands the silver bell to Clarion.
Felonious: "I did a thorough testing on this. It seems to be enchanted with divine magic - it barely spoke to me. Seems to bring Chardastes' worshippers some sort of blessing. Maybe you'll have more luck with it."
They are approached by a disheveled man in a tattered Druid's robe. He gives Fleetwood a potion vial.
Druid: "That reprobate Bargle and his band of miscreants burned down my grove. I saw him out there near Mistamere poking around in the dirt. Go kick his ass."
Background: DnD Calm Fantasy Music for Adventure and Exploration | 3 Hour Mix for Dungeons & Dragons
The party journeys through the farmland once more, under a rainy sky. The only notable sight is a barking squirrel. Fleetwood discoveres a wet and waterlogged net, likely from a snare, but it is in terrible condition and he tosses it aside. Eventually, they found themselves standing before the broken towers of Mistamere once again.
Fleetwood: "Better check under those doors and make sure there's not another of those creatures down there."
He starts toward the doors, but doesn't get there before:
Kobold: (Sounds similar to Star Wars Ewok) :"A-YEEEEEEEE!"
Several kobolds jump out from behind fallen stones and attack the party as others snipe from the wall above. They are small, agile reptilian beings with doglike heads who speak to each other in a yapping tongue.
Background music changes: Ambush! | D&D/TTRPG Battle/Combat/Fight Music | 1 Hour
Fleetwood's armor absorbs the attack, while Clarion's armor also withstands the blow. Greegan and Felonious both take hits, but Silverleaf skillfully evades the assault. Fleetwood then unleashes a relentless and masterful display of swordsmanship, swiftly dispatching the kobolds on the ground. Meanwhile, Silverleaf keeps the kobolds on the wall at bay with a rapid barrage of arrows. Greegan attempts a crossbow shot but is struck in the shoulder by an arrow. Felonious casts a Magic Missile, but it harmlessly splatters against the battlement as a kobold ducks. Clarion takes out a sling and begins pelting stones at the kobolds, successfully knocking several off the battlement.
The party bands together, launching a barrage of missiles at the remaining kobolds on the battlement. Initially, the battlement shields the kobolds, but the relentless attack dislodges a massive stone from the wall. This causes the battlement to collapse, burying the reptilian creatures beneath the rubble.
The party stands before the towering, decaying walls of Mistamere, confronted by a sturdy wooden gate that bars their entry into the courtyard. Clarion chants a healing spell over Greegan's shoulder, and his wound closes under her touch. Once she finishes, Fleetwood steps forward and pushes against the gate. The wood groans and splinters under his effort, finally giving way with a loud snap, causing him to stumble into the heart of the rain-soaked courtyard - where yet more Kobold guards await.
Kobold Courtyard
Fleetwood bravely faces the Kobolds in the courtyard, enduring their attacks with unwavering resolve. With skillful precision, Fleetwood dispatches several of the creatures, causing the remaining Kobolds to retreat into the shadows, wary of the formidable human who had dared to enter their domain.
The Kobolds gather around and try to defend an iron chest near the ruins of the castle's east tower.
Kobold: "Leave our castle, softskins, or you face the Kobold king's wrath."
Fleetwood: "Give us Bargle and we'll leave right away."
Kobold: (Warily) "What is Bargle? We do not know this word."
Fleetwood: "Your words sound convincing, but I don't believe you."
Felonious: "You shouldn't believe him. He's lying like a rug. Bargle's here all right." He walks toward the Kobolds. "I'm a wizard, just like him. I could burn you all with just a snap" (snaps) "of my fingers. Perhaps I'll turn you all into butterflies."
The Kobolds laugh at him.
Kobold: "You are baby wizard." (Snickers) "Can conjure curds for baby to eat."
Greegan: "Oh, forget this scum. Just pike 'em and we can find Bargle for ourselves."
Fleetwood glowers at the Kobolds. They laugh at him too.
Kobold: "Baby wizard and baby warrior. Cry, baby, cry."
Greegan: "Aye. They're babies, But then there's me to consider." He cleans his fingernails with a dagger. "I was pikin' rats bigger than you with this very dagger before I could walk." The Kobolds look a bit nervous. "You'll never see me comin'."
Kobold: (doubtfully) "I see you now."
Greegan: (suddenly) "BOO!" He lunges at the Kobold with his dagger.
The Kobolds just find this funny.
Kobold: "Bored now. Go away."
Felonious: "And if we don't?
Kobold: (Yells in Kobold tongue) Kobolds attack.
Clarion remains unscathed by the assault, while Fleetwood's armor effectively absorbs the impact. Felonious sustains a minor injury, and Greegan skillfully evades the Kobold's attack. However, Silverleaf is grazed by the enemy's strike. The party fights back with a concerted effort, slaughtering the rest of the Kobolds.
Greegan goes to the chest, pokes and prods it for a while, and finally noisily bashes it open.
Greegan: "I hope this was worth all that." The box is full to the brim with gold, and has a black gem sitting on top. "No doubt their pay for guarding the door. I can say this for old Bargle. He pays well." Greegan shovels the loot into a bag, and tosses the chest aside.
Felonious: "Yes, right up until the time he pays you with a dagger in your back."
The party approaches the weathered entrance of Mistamere, the castle's upper levels now reduced to rubble and inaccessible. Greegan cautiously tests the decayed wooden doors, which groan open to reveal a dilapidated corridor stretching into the darkness beyond. Felonious casts a short spell, and the top of his staff glows brightly as a torch.
Entrance:
Background changes again: 4-Hour Dungeon Ambient Music - The Dungeon of the Dark Pyramid
The entrance hall of Mistamere shows signs of frequent use, with debris scattered around from outside. Greegan notices some indistinct tracks on the floor and comes across a discarded, corroded bottle emitting a foul odor. Felonious pockets the bottle and no one objects. Silverleaf examines the tracks Greegan found.
Silverleaf: "A lot of people… or things… have been through here. It looks like most of them went to the north." She points to a wooden door visible in the flickering light of Felonious' staff.
Fleetwood: "Then that's the way we should go." He leads the way with Greegan just behind him, Clarion and Felonious in the middle, and Silverleaf guarding the rear.
Hallway
Fleetwood and Greegan cautiously examine the trash-filled hallway with their swords but find nothing of interest. Silverleaf points out that the trail leads westward. They follow it.
Bedroom
This room, which might have once been a luxurious bedroom, now stands in disrepair, with its furnishings tattered and covered in mold. The room echoes with a peaceful, ghostly lullaby. Greegan starts to yawn as he searches the room.
Greegan: "Bloody hell, that music's getting to me…"
Without warning he lies down on the moldy bed and falls deeply and apparently contentedly asleep. Realizing the danger, Silverleaf herds everyone away from the bed.
Silverleaf: "Stay away, the bed is enchanted." She pulls Greegan out of the moldy blankets, but cannot seem to wake him. Felonious examines the bed. He isn't affected by the magic after a couple of minutes of examining it.
Felonious: "This is definitely one of Bargle's favorite traps. A very potent spell. If only I had some peas…"
Fleetwood: "Peas?"
Felonious: "I don't get it either, but Bargle thought it was hilarious. I never said it wasn't a lame spell, just that it was potent."
Silverleaf: "Where are we going to find any peas around here?" Felonious shrugs.
Felonious: "Well, there's always the other bed. But I don't know where that is either. Do we really want to wake him up? He seems peaceful that way."
Clarion examines Greegan closely.
Clarion: "I may be able to help him." (Softly ringing her holy chime, she makes an invocation to Chardastes)
Greegan: "*Snort*, heh?" He wakes up, realizes that he went to sleep in the moldy, disgusting bed, and starts trying to literally brush the mold off himself. "Bloody HELL!"
Clarion: "Did you have a nice nap?"
Still looking disgusted, Greegan motions for Felonious to shine his light into the bedroom's closet and sees the hatbox inside. Looking a bit puzzled how such a thing could be intact in the mouldering ruins, he moves to examine it closer. Sniffing the air, he motions to Felonious to stand back.
Greegan: "Sassone powder. I can smell it." He cuts the string holding the hatbox closed and then pushes away the lid with his dagger. Inside, he finds a particularly ugly and long-ruined woman's hat. Felonious bursts out in raucous laughter. "Bargle has a really weird sense of humor."
Silverleaf: "Ooh. I remember when those were popular." She picks up the hat, intending to put it on, but it immediately crumbles into useless pieces. From the remains, a shiny platinum hatpin falls out. Greegan snatches it immedately.
Greegan: "Community chest."
The party returns to the bedroom and then decides to follow the trail of disturbed dust to the east, where they find the stairs going down into the darkness. A small chamber leads past an unlit and ruined fireplace to a set of stairs leading down into the darkness. The party goes forward down the stairs.
Fade to black
Stairs
As our intrepid adventurers descend the stairs, four Kobolds leap out and attack them.
Fleetwood blunders directly into the Kobold ambush. Their tiny spears go directly through his armor, drawing blood.
The others manage to avoid the flailing spears. Fleetwood and Clarion kill half of the Kobolds but a kobold trips Fleetwood down the stairs and now he is lying unconscious below. Greegan tosses a brace of daggers and finishes off the Kobolds as the rest hurry down the stairs to Fleetwood.
The room they find themselves in holds an ancient statue, shrouded in cobwebs. Though its features are crumbling, the statue depicts a powerful human wizard, arms outstretched as if expecting a gift. In addition to the stairs they just descended, the room has exits to the north and south.
Fleetwood lies stunned at the statue's feet. As the others descend the stairs, he painfully and unsteadily rises to his feet. Clarion rushes to Fleetwood's side, examining him with far more concern than she showed for Greegan earlier.
Clarion's concern becomes evident as she begins to cast a healing spell on Fleetwood, despite his attempts to stop her. His wounds diminish but don't fully close. Meanwhile, Gregan and Felonious explore the chamber. Gregan fails to find anything useful, but Felonious notices a faint magical sparkle around the statue's chest when he uses his Detect Magic cantrip. This discovery prompts Gregan to examine the statue again, leading him to find an inscription at its base.
Greegan: (Reads inscription aloud) "The orb is the key. Any of you lot seen any bloody orb?" Everyone shrugs.
"Well, maybe we could try bashing it apart. Couldn't attract much more attention than fighting those little blighters."
Clarion: "Let's have at it then." She and Fleetwood try to bash the statue open, but it resists their efforts.
Fleetwood: "Well, worth a try."
Silverleaf inspects the floor but finds no clear trail. With a shrug, Fleetwood flips a coin and leads the group to the door on the south wall. Greegan examines the door, finding no traps and noting that it isn't locked but is stuck. He pulls out a small crowbar and makes a lot of noise trying to wedge it into the door frame. Nodding to Fleetwood, the burly warrior takes the crowbar, and together they give it a strong pull, shattering the door into pieces. As the door opens, a small wave of brackish watery fluid spills out, causing everyone to step back. From their grimaces, we can gather that it stinks. From the darkened chamber beyond, they hear unsettling crunching and slurping sounds.
Two ghouls, feasting on a dead Kobold, notice the party and advance with a hiss. Fleetwood, leading the charge, holds his breath against their putrid stench. Despite his efforts, his sword seems ineffective. Greegan turns green and looks ready to vomit, but his tossed daggers manage to damage the vile Undead. Felonious, gagging from the stench, is too hampered to cast spells and his staff attack is feeble. Silverleaf chokes on the foul miasma and misses her shot completely. Clarion attempts to invoke Chardastes, but her faith falters, drawing the creatures' attention.
Clarion narrowly escapes the ghouls' festering claws, while another ghoul attempts to tear Fleetwood apart, but his armor deflects the blow. Felonious avoids the worst but continues to be hampered by the urge to vomit, whereas Greegan takes a full ragged scratch and becomes infected with Choking Miasma. Silverleaf remains unharmed. Clarion's faith continues to waver, and her power of Protection runs out. Fleetwood's sword proves ineffective against the ghouls. Greegan manages to kill one before collapsing. Silverleaf tries to shoot the ghouls but misses, still repulsed by the stench.
The ghoul seizes Greegan and attempts to drag him away. Fleetwood, with Clarion's support, finally delivers a blow that beheads the last ghoul. The commotion from the battle doesn't seem to have drawn any additional attention. Fleetwood and Clarion carry Greegan back to the statue room, where Clarion examines him.
Clarion: "Ghouls carry terrible diseases. It might have infected him." She assumes a prayerful stance while the others took up defensive positions near the broken door. The powerful energies of Chardastes surge through Greegan, causing his body to glow brightly. However, at the core, a sinister green-black radiance battles against the pure white light of good. Though the green is diminished, it is not entirely vanquished. Greegan remains unconscious.
Fleetwood: "Even Bargle didn't want to mess with them." Felonious rests, leaning against his staff. Silverleaf remains vigilant, her bow trained on the door.
Clarion: "I think we need to get him out of here, and quickly. The ghouls' curse is resisting Chardastes - Thanatos wants Greegan but I'm not ready to give him up yet."
Fleetwood and Clarion try to move Greegan. Between them, they carry him up the stairs. As the characters ascend the stairs, the chatter of Kobold voices is heard. The voices sound a bit anxious.
Felonious: "They speak Draconic." He grins a little. "They're afraid of us after what we did to their fellows outside."
Fleetwood leaves Greegan with Clarion and attempts to sneak up the stairs toward the Kobolds. However, his armor clinks loudly, drawing the creatures' attention. They mock his feeble effort and thrust their spears at him. Despite his injuries, Fleetwood's armor withstands the attacks, allowing him to slay several Kobolds. Behind him, Silverleaf chants a spell, and light arrows from the Magic Missile spell finish off the remaining creatures.
After dealing with the Kobolds the party heads back through the bedroom they passed through earlier. It, too, is alive with Kobolds. Fleetwood attempts to fight the Kobolds but this ends in disaster - one of the Kobolds trips him into the bed and Fleetwood becomes unconscious. Clarion drives the kobolds away as Felonious and Silverleaf carry both Fleetwood and Greegan toward the castle door, but are hampered by the weight of their comrades with fighting.
The party flees down the hall and out into the courtyard, successfully fighting off the Kobolds chasing them. The kobolds continue pursuing them out into the courtyard, but the party finally manages to eliminate them, carrying Fleetwood and Greegan out through the gate.
They return to the Juggling Ogre, where they tuck Fleetwood and Greegan into bed until Clarion can tend to their injuries.
(Fade to black)