Post by Andy D on Nov 15, 2021 0:17:11 GMT
At the Hung Rabbit
As I walked into the Hung Rabbit and looked around for someone with orange spots, there was a small person all by themself by a corner table. The kobold was noticeable because his small presence wasn’t taking up much room at his table - and he had orange spots. He was looking my way as I approached. The closer I got, the more his neck had to crane in order to keep his eyes on my face. I am quite tall, and he is quite small. I thought it would be patronising if I crouched, so I stayed standing as I came to a stop in front of him. I had the leaf note that hit me in the face in my left hand, and presented it to him, “excuse me. Is this your note?”
Oh adventurer I spotted from afar please help me! The well has started shouting and screaming and it won’t stop. We can’t see anyone down there but we’re too scared to go down ourselves. If you can and want to help, meet me at the Hung Rabbit, I’m the little guy with orange spots. Please! ~Pitter Patter
The small man stumbled words out of his mouth to me, “... yes that is my note. Um. Have you come to help? Are you an adventurer?”
“Yes. I am.” My adventuring comrades would probably add more words to their answer than is necessary. Me? I respond with efficiency.
“... well. I’m new to hiring adventurers. I’m hoping there will be... more of you?”
“Yes. There usually is”, I confirmed to Mr. Pitter Patter. “I will get a drink while we wait for other adventurers”, and I turned towards the bar to get a pre-adventuring beer. My employer looked like he was about to say something, but since he didn’t I carried on to the bar.
As I got to the bar, comrade Kelne was there and had just gotten a drink. We said hello, as they indicated they would go see Mr. Pitter Patter themself, and “not leave the worried looking fella on his own like an arsehole,” Kelne said laughing up at me and shaking their head as if in disbelief. This is why the more talky members of a party should turn up first!
A new adventurer was talking to Mr. Patter as Kelne ventured over. Comrade Itzaal, a half-orc. She looked pretty strong. Good.
Kelne had spotted more adventurers it seemed. Kelne shouted to get our attention and comrades Glint and Derthaad joined the party. I saw that Glint was drinking out of his Cocktail of Plenty - I could smell the pumpkin spice latte. What a cheap skate! Tavern owners must not be pleased. Are all academics like this?
I walked back over to the table. As I sat down - a puff of black smoke! Sorrel appeared at the table too. Ha! Her stealth magic is great. How did she know where we were? Where was she hiding?
Mr. Patter explained the task. He lives in a community of kobold and goblins not too far north of the Swamp Gate. There is a well in the middle of the hamlet, and recently the villagers have been hearing screaming and horrible noises from the bottom. This happens day and night.
The more investigative members of the party asked Mr. Patter some questions to see if they could find a clue. I too asked a question, one of a more practical nature, “Mr. Pitter Patter, how wide is the well?”
“It’s wide enough for the would be medium-sized creatures of the world”, replied our employer. This was a relief to me, “Good. Comrades, I thought I might have a problem”, I said to the others. Comrade Derthaad looked like he approved of my question.
With some basic questions asked and answered, we followed Mr. Patter to his village.
The Kobold and Goblin Hamlet North of the Swamp Gate
Hmmm. The doors and heights of the buildings here were not very tall. This place was very much created for smaller sized beings. Kelne would be alright here. Me, not so much.
A red-scaled kobold approached us. This was Scritch, Mr. Pitter Patter’s husband. He was excited to see that his husband had managed to recruit adventurers - in fact, by the looks of their faces, all the villagers shared the same sentiment.
We got to work. There didn’t appear to be much need for my strength just yet, so I bent over and rested my arms on the well’s rim. Derthaad and Glint, however, we busy. Between them they couldn’t find anything magical or any signs of recent tampering. Nothing unusual.
The well was roughly eighty feet deep before it opened into a cavern half full of water, which Sorrel discovered for us, as she volunteered to go down first. I helpfully pointed out that, “Sorrel has been training with heavy clubs. Descending this well will not be a problem for her”, and then I immediately tied a rope to her, so she could abseil down.
Just as Sorrel was close to the water, we heard for the first time ourselves an agonising scream from somewhere below. I suggested it was time for all of us to go down, and between us we had enough rope to secure our descent, and we could secure the rope on the well’s strong wooden beam. Glint did not feel that the beam would sustain the weight of ‘some’ of the party, “I know what you are insinuating, comrade Glint”, I replied.
“Perhaps secured against the stonework of the well, then?” Itzal suggested. This sounded good. So, I secured the rope to the stonework.
We made our way down, and joined Sorrel treading water in the cavern. All of us freezing in the cold, winter, well water. All except me. Goliath’s barely feel the cold. If it wasn’t difficult to access, this pool would make for a good spa - for me atleast.
Derthaad had used his magic to make a pebble illuminate light. The pebble dropped to the bottom of this underground pool. But, Kelne spotted another light source. Kelne polymorphed into a dolphin and found a short tunnel that led to another cavern, where there was ground we could walk on, leading to another tunnel to walk through. In this tunnel, they saw footsteps escaping round the corner of the dry tunnel.
With our remaining rope we tied ourselves to Dolphin-Kelne who helped us through the water filled cavern into the drier one. Kelne’s dolphin is not as impressive as they’re great-ape. Not by a mile, but I can concede that in water, a dolphin might be better than a great-ape.
Follow The Tunnels
At the entrance to the dry tunnel was a small illuminated bauble. It was placed about two feet off the ground. If it were me, I would have placed the light emitting bauble eight feet up, so I’d have light above me, but not directly at the eye line. The tunnel had two more feet for height to spare, which was good for me. Whoever put the light bauble near the floor must always be stepping in muck. Why else would you place a light source so low to the ground, if not to see the ground? But then the others noticed paintings on the wall, also at ground level. Who is painting at such a funny angle? You would have to lie down to paint at that angle.
Kelne casted their Pass Without A Trace spell and we proceeded silently.
Sorrel led. She alerted us to a wire placed at foot level. There were more contraptions further in. Glint and Derthaad alerted us to a falling net trap containing scraps of wood. It didn’t look like it could do me any harm, even outside of a battle rage. There was a control mechanism above the trap, with wires leading further into the tunnel. There was also a wooden sculpture of a dragon. Glint used his Prestidigitation spell to animate the dragons’ eyes. It was a nice touch. But, the falling net was the thing in desperate need of alterations.
We moved away from the net and dragon. A few paces later Sorrel pointed at the wire, with a smile, and then did an about-face to point at the net behind us. The net opened and the wood scrap fell out onto the floor below making a banging noise. Sorrel gave a fake scream.
Itzaal used magic to amplify her voice, “oh my god! What a terrifying trap”. My comrades appeared to be enjoying the ambush our enemy had set up. I guess to be fair, the efforts were terrible, which is what I assumed Itzaal meant when she said ‘terrifying’.
My comrades were definitely enjoying themselves. It was not through caution that Glint cast an Invisible spell on both Kelne and Derthaad. I pulled a touch out. I wanted more light. We proceeded further in and reached an opening in the tunnel of smallish size. There was a sign on it that read, “Ultimate Prank Den”. We proceeded inside. I had to crouch as I moved.
Inside, it looked like a room where children would play. There were crayons and notebooks along one wall. I could see pillows and snacks too. In the far corner though, covered in dust, untouched were an assortment of items. Before I could get a look, a small white-scaled kobold came running out with a self-made ghost mask on his face.
“Rah!” the little one said, charging at each of the visible members of the party, with his arms up high.
Sorrel, with exaggerated movement, fled to a corner of the room shaking her hands as if in terror, and screaming.
Glint followed Sorrel’s facade and dropped the lit bauble he carried from the entrance, whilst yelling for help.
Itzal turned to where Kelne and Derthaad, whilst invisible, must have been. She waved a finger at them seemingly instructing them not to drop the invisibility they had. I could hear Kelne giggling. Itzal then turned around and did her own performance of being terrified of the small ‘ghost’, as he charged toward her.
Between sounds of “rah” the small one had fits of laughter. He was done terrifying Sorrel, Glint and now Itzal. He couldn’t see Derthaad or Kelne, so he made his way to me. He stopped in front of me. Craned his neck up to see my face and gave me one of his, “rahs” accompanied with the shaking arms.
I looked back and forth between my visible comrades and their sudden, and unscripted performances. I looked at the child, still attempting to scare me, and I raised my empty hand to my face, palm facing me and obscuring my line of sight. And, I did my best... “oh no. This is scary. I am so scared.”
Was I convincing? I do not know, but the child enjoyed it as he continued to laugh and have a good time. The child was enjoying my performance so much, he didn’t seem to mind comrade Derthaad picking him up whilst invisible.
A Kobold And Two Goblin Pranksters
Two small goblins rushed in to join the kobold child. “Plink! They’re not villagers. They are adventurers!”, said one of the goblins.
“You’re not crossed?” said the deep blue goblin, Tutti, suddenly aware they could be in trouble, but comrade Itzal replied, “absolutely not.”
The deep green goblin, Biscuit, noted that Glint took what was her bauble. We learned that young Biscuit had an aptitude for magic.
“Can I ask, as one professional to another, how do you do the screaming?” asked Sorrel. This was Biscuit’s doing again. The little one can to the same magnifying magic voice that Itzal does.
Sorrel was very much enjoying conversing with the children. This was a much different Sorrel to the one I’m used to seeing loose arrows into unsuspecting enemies.
There was some chat about how maybe Glint could put in a word to the Daring Academy about our new, young pranksters.
Whilst Glint performed some illusion spells for the children, I checked with Derthaad who had turned visible again, “comrade. Have they broken any rules?”
“No Kavel”, my City Watch comrade reassured me. But, as a team we had a decision to make as to how we proceeded from here.
The children were hoping the villagers would come down the well to investigate the screams. They didn’t count on the villagers being scared and hiring adventurers to go down instead. I asked how they got down here, and Tutti replied there was a hidden hole in her house that led down to this tunnel. Of our group, only Kelne would be able to use it.
Whilst trying to figure out the best way to encourage the parents to come down here and play along without the children knowing, the kids pointed out that the undusted items in the far corner might be treasure, but they didn’t want to touch them, since they were scared of them. We were welcome to take them. Glint and Derthaad got to work and it’s just as well we decided to take the items - some of them were a bit dangerous, even for adventurers. The Horn of Blasting in particular, that I took for myself.
Returning The Way We Came
We told the children that they would have to stop the screaming, and suggested entertainment might be better than pranks in the future. But, we promised them we would get their parents to come down here, so the kids could prank them.
We returned the way we came, and were greeted by Pitter Patter and his husband Scritch.
We decided that the parents had to know the truth behind the screams and how there was no danger at all, but that they should play along and let their kids prank them. The others in the team were keen to see the kids’ talents’ encouraged. I saw no harm in this. Glint, because of his familiarity with giving talks, was chosen to convey our thoughts to Pitter Patter, our employer, who we were about to refuse payment from.
Glint probably had this all on his own, but there appears to be no endeavour where magic cannot intrude and literally enhance. Both Itzal and Derthaad cast spells to help; Guidance and Enhance Ability. Glint successfully talked the parents round. They insisted on providing us dinner in light of our help and our insistence that payment wasn’t necessary.
As it turned out, Plink was Pitter Patter and Scritch’s child. They also knew Tutti and Biscuit were good friends of Plink. We saw them later as the parents and other villagers prepared a lovely village bonfire feast.
Us adventurers understood that we had to pretend we had never met the kids before. The children understood the concept too that they were not supposed to already be familiar with us, but as children, they were terrible at hiding this. They ran straight up to us when they first saw us above ground.
The children were excited to see our adventuring gear and Sorrel showed Biscuit a spell called Rope Trick. Many a magic spell was demonstrated to the children and villagers by the party.
I told Sorrel that not having fought anything today was like missing a workout and just wouldn’t do. We managed to get in a heavy club set in to compensate, using some approximately clubbell shaped branches. And then we feasted with the villagers.
