Lair Of The Orc Lord - Deep 3 (Part 5) & Down The Rabbit Hole

This session saw the collection of treasure from the last cave/room and the grand finale of returning the Life Stone to the Temple of Eissa which was a drama in itself.

The treasure collecting was fairly uneventful with the only excitement occurring when Rikku set off a trap attached to the chest containing the last amulet piece of the Life Stone. The anticlimax was that he subsequently passed the Poison RR easily. The party was very pleased with the treasure hoard they collected, especially the +15 magical short bow that nobody really wanted but was worth almost 5000 gp. Finally some worthwhile treasure! Just one note to add to this – Rikku was NOT given the short bow to look after – for those of you who have kept up with this campaign, I’m sure you understand. 

The PCs leave the orc lair and rest outside and recoup some health for the night knowing that there are no more orcs to contend with in this area, or at least none willing to take them on in a fight. The next day they listen to the GM’s (that’s me) suggestion that, if they want, they can take a detour to look for the pine cones (Melenar herb) that they can sell for gold in Sel-kai. They figure that they need only travel south east rather than straight east to the city – a small detour for sure.

After one and a bit days of travel they come across a clearing in which a large garden and some crops are being grown. In the distance they can see a house but there is no obvious path to the structure. Skirting the garden, not being willing to simply ride through it, the PCs find a narrow path to the house and so dismount.

Rikku takes the initiative and walks the path while the rest of the party rest in the woods with their horses. Rikku doesn’t return after more than 20 minutes and so the other members decide to investigate as a group, leaving their horses behind.

Getting closer to the house, the party members find it difficult to stick to the ever narrowing and increasingly winding path and so are asked to make Agility checks to see if they lose their balance and step onto the garden. Two PCs do fail and after a short time an old ranting mage comes out of the house, waves his wand and everyone loses consciousness.

The PCs wake up in unfamiliar surroundings; everything is a blur as they cannot focus on anything with their eyes. They have no memories at all and do not know anything – it is as if they were just born.

The PCs’ only concern is for food of which they suckle milk greedily from a furry creature. As time progresses they realise they are underground and can see dim light coming from a tunnel. Over time they begin to identify other furry creatures and gradually build up their mobility within underground surroundings. More time progresses and “mother” eventually pushes them out of the warm, secure tunnels into the morning light of day.

A field of grass lies not too far from their location which is a hidden entrance in a briar patch. Mother teaches them many things, the most important of which is how to live as a Rabbit around their home call the Warren. Yes, you did read correctly, the PCs are now young rabbits. (I got this idea from the GURPS book Bunnies & Burrows.)

The following are the transformations the PCs underwent:

Rikku

Sprig

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Kodos

Stripe

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Asmodeus

Oakroot

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Cavell

Chamomile

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Hanu

Raspberry

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Xera

Comfrey

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On their “first birthday” each PC rabbit have the same dream. It is a dream of awakening – a beautiful “light” calling them forth to find their true selves. They are called to leave the Warren and adventure forth to find a senile old mage who is keeping a glowing purple potion they must drink to “become”. They don’t really understand this, but they each instinctually feel that it is what they must do at this time.

For those of you following this campaign, this is the geas they have on them from the High Priestess of Eissa, through it Eissa is calling them to return the Life Stone to her temple. The PCs know nothing of this of course, because they are merely rabbits.

Leaving the safety of all they know, the rabbits, I mean PCs, head off in a direction they all feel they need to travel. After a few days they come across a pack of wolves. The rabbits immediately scatter to find a good hiding place. All but Chamomile are successful and the wolves don’t locate them. Chamomile, however, is cornered by a wolf when he tries to hide in an old hollow tree trunk. Acting on instinct alone, Chamomile bares his teeth and leaps for the throat of the unsuspecting wolf. Suffice to say Chamomile’s player rolls over 200 and gets an E severity critical to boot, severing the head of the wolf from its body. It is at this point the players find out they are not just ordinary rabbits but are in fact killer rabbits.

[Aside: one player in particular found this part of the game difficult to enjoy. They didn’t want to be a rabbit and reminded me constantly. Another player said that they should get used to this type of game as the GM likes using unexpected twists to the game. I don’t think I have ever turned any PCs into another animal before, certainly their consciousness got transplanted into another body, but that was in a sci-fi campaign. The player in question did have an enjoyable session, considering the numerous fits of laughter they underwent.]

Eventually the rabbits do find the mage’s house and the surrounding garden. Two of the rabbits, Raspberry and one other can’t resist the temptation of all the yummy plants in the garden and so dig in and eat. They are immediately assailed by the mage who comes out of his house and shoots a fireball at them. The rabbits scatter back to the forest with only minor injuries. They try again with similar results and decide to give it a rest for some time.

Upon returning the rabbits sit on an old log and look at the clearing. They notice the angry mage is out in his field of crops and so they decide to risk entry. They still can’t help themselves and have to stop and eat every now and then as they make their way to the house. Climbing in through the open widow a laboratory is found and the purple potion is spotted high on a shelf.

A series of jumping attempts are made to get to the potion and it is eventually knocked down without attracting the mage’s attention (due to my very poor Awareness•Alertness skill rolls on the mage’s behalf). The rabbits immediately begin to drink the spilled potion and they each turn back into their original selves without memory of what happened. Six pine cones that look like the ones they are after are also discovered on a shelf in the mages laboratory – these were taken when Cavell was not present in the room.

Finding their horses out in the barn next to the house the PCs make a run for it and gallop over the top of the garden, at the same time wondering how the hell the mage got the horses into the barn without ruining his garden. As the PCs try to attain the relative safety of the forest, the mage is alerted by all the noise and Cavell notices him waving his large hoe high in the air above himself, then sees a bright white mass of electricity make a bee-line straight for Xera. Slowing his horse Cavell bravely puts himself between the danger and Xera.

The ball of electricity explodes on his shield and all about him, frying him in an instant and fusing all his metal armour. In his dying breaths Cavell tells the party to continue into the forest – “keep going, don’t stop”.

More worried for Cavell then about the mad mage, the PCs do eventually stop. Seeing how badly his armour is melted, Xera immediately grabs her blue paste ready to spread onto Cavell and save his life. The only problem is that they can’t find access to Cavell and so start searching his armour for any possible entry points. Three weak points are found and a couple of sections are removed, but it is too late, Cavell is dead. “Not if I can help it” thinks Xera. She grabs one of her Lifekeeping herbs and gives it to Cavell in the hopes that they can get his body back to the Temple of Eissa and obtain some of that free healing they were promised.

Another day’s travel and the PCs see the city of Sel-kai appear before them. Getting Cavell to the temple is their immediate priority, which they achieve quickly with the assistance of a city guard and a wheelbarrow.

Getting healing for the injured Paladin of Kuor was drama in itself. You see a month had past since they left Sel-kai the last time (it is now the 29th of Spring), but to the party members it was only a couple of days. The argument from Xera became “We are not handing over the Life Stone until you heal him!”, however, the High Priestess said she needs the Life Stone to heal Cavell. A catch-22 if I ever saw one!

The professor of the Nalandar College of the University was called in to validate the Life Stone they had in their possession and an armourer was hired to open the can encasing Cavell so that the priestesses could get to him in order to heal him. After the professor convinces Xera to allow him to handle the pieces, he puts the Life Stone together and is beaming with joy that he has had the chance to hold the artefact. The professor hands it over to the High Priestess to Xera’s annoyance. Cavell’s magical armour is ruined and he will need to buy a new set! Discussion about the mad old mage in the forest is brought to the attention of the professor and it is found out that the mage is probably Andraax, a powerful Loremaster gone mad, but that is only rumour and not proven.

The High Priestess immediately goes to work on the now unarmoured Cavell, casting her cleric spells that transfer the wounds of the injured onto the healer. As the party watches, Cavell is healed while the High Priestess takes on the cooked visage of the brave paladin. The priestesses usher out the group of adventurers to allow the High Priestess time to heal.

Cavell explains to the rest of the party that clerics heal by transferring the wounds of the injured onto themselves and then their body automatically heals the wounds by subconsciously casting the appropriate spells. This is different to Xera, a lay healer, who casts the appropriate healing spells on the injured whose wounds heal over time.

At this point in the game experience points are awarded and it is ascertained that a few PCs can once again level up. This will be performed next time, however, due to Christmas time commitments, the next gaming session will only be for developing and some different gaming in the form of a board game will be played rather than role-playing.

This campaign blog will continue once the next session runs…