Sexy Long Beard and the Way to Level 3
Theodora, experiencing an epic hangover from a night at the tavern with Sven is pretty hungover and out of it for the first half hour of exploring and has almost no memory of what was said or went down. She knows that due to not having the Feather Fall spell the adventuring team opted to enter through Nupo’s basement. By the time she had really come to herself, processing a greasy breakfast and an ale, that the group were already in a corridor previously unexplored. There were three new hired men; X, Y, and Z. As well as “original” hired men; Adonis, Dinkle, and Ernie.
This was the corridor running parallel to the one just to the west where Ember had fallen through a trap door/hole. There was some confusion as to spacing and how this corridor fit into the dungeon they had previously mapped but things seemed to come together over time.
There was a door into a further corridor and around this point Lorna Doone felt ill and had to return to the surface. She took with her the ghost of hired man Ernie, in hopes of helping them both at the infirmary.
The rest of the party continued onward finding a door in the left wall where Ember heard a grinding sound which reminded the group of the gargoyles they had previously encountered, so they skipped the room and continued on. The corridor ultimately terminated in another door, which again the group pussed out on opening, instead choosing to try a corridor in the east wall.
However, as they turned, heading back, there was the sound of a small, barely intelligible voice following them.
Ember and Ves were down the corridor, heading east, as Sven and Theodora turned back to see a little, skinny man, wearing nothing but his own very long hair, behind them. He had long hair, and an exceptionally long beard. It covered private areas but little else. Both were understandably nervous so Sven turned on the Chainmail Chick charm. It worked. The man was enchanted.
He had clearly been in the dungeon for a very long time without human contact. But he agreed to join the group and lead them to the third level through the twisted maze of corridors, if he could ride upon Sven’s back. Theodora, understanding the need to get deeper in the dungeon and feeling compassion for the strangle little man, scooted back and made way.
He claimed to no longer know or remember his name, as he had lived in the dungeon for so long, but Sven gifted him with the name “Sexy Long Beard” with his excessive charm.
Sexy Long Beard only remembered the vampire leader of Clargarsar, Grishknock. The group tried to explain that where was no vampire in the tour, but Sexy Long Beard could not comprehend this fact it seemed.
He was a strange little man but a good guide as the group moved through the dungeon. They took the corridor in the east wall, twisting with it, and eventually returning to the room with the spiral staircase, the gargoyles, and what was likely the dead body of Ernie, but no one looked long enough or hard enough to know.
Note: Sexy Long Beard explained that the Well was the fastest way to the third level of the dungeon, but AGAIN due to the lack of Feather Fall is was a difficult route to take with a large Pegasus. So the group chose what was a longer route.
They travelled through the north door in the spiral staircase room, narrowly escaping the gargoyles thanks to a quickly slammed door and the Hold Portal spell and travelled along a winding dirt and stone passage way that twisted and turned, clearly hewn from he very stone of the dungeon. Theodora recognized the passage and tried to find and use whatever maps and memories she had of the space from earlier adventuring.
The group continued on with shocking little intervention. There were a few Kobolds distracted by apples. They twist and turned, Sexy Long Beard cackling about the corridors which lead into corridors. Until they came to an area, which was clearly under the old tower. Beneath it sewage ran, not traditional sewage, more like magic run off sewage.
Sexy Long Beard was the first to throw himself in and be whisked away. The rest of the group followed behind with some serious trepidation. They were dragged along on the least fun water ride of their life eventually falling into a quickly running stream. Sven and Theodora leapt from the waters, following the surprisingly lithe Sexy Long Beard. Ves and Ember jumped out after them. The hired men had far more issues.
Adonis, Dinkle, X, and Y, were swept away, unable to escape the torrent of water and washed over another waterfall and out of view, only their screams to be heard. Z was the only one to escape. He immediately wished to look for his fellows but was stopped buy the group and convinced to stay with them.
Theodora immediately recognized the room as she had previously been part of a battle against a giant slug in that room and found an idol. In fact the bridge one of her compatriots had built with magic was still there, across the stream.
The team chose to cross said bridge and go through the southward door.
Behind the door was a corridor (surprise). And while the party occasionally got distracted, Sexy Long Beard reminded them that the third level was slow close, just to the south. So they continued and after like 140 feet they entered a thirty by thirty room with a door on the opposite wall. Through the door was an intersection, leading west, east and south, and again they went south.
This FINALLY lead to a stairwell that meandered, twisting and turning, until depositing the group on the third level!
They found themselves in a room, massive and cavernous, similar to a church of some sort. The room was so large that Sven, with Theodora on his back, could fly above.
There was an apse with a pit and offering bowl. There was artwork of people falling from heaven and an inscription to do with a child, tithing, and offering, and submitting. It reminded Theodora of the inscription on the massive elf sculpture to do with glory and sacrifice. But alas the group realized they had no children to sacrifice, terrifying the hired man, and moved to explore more. The hired man at this time ran for his life...
(It’s so hard to find good help.)
As the did this Ember offered a jewel - nothing. Some blood -nada.
The south corridor, which was huge, had niches with cherub statues. Heads with Wings. And their faces were disgusted.
So the group travelled East. The found a room on the south wall, it smelled like death and decay. In the center was a person in a robe but they were mummified, decayed, but clutched a vellum scroll, it was a map of the forests above group. The team opted to save it for later.
They exited the room from the opposite side and entered another massive cathedral like room. The apse in this one was more football shaved and held a Dias with a body upon it. The body was only bones and armor at that point and looked as though it had been dropped from an immense height. Sven and Theodora fly upward but determined it could not have come from even the ceiling to cause such damage. It was a mystery.
Ember rifled his pockets.
Gold (625 pieces) and 4 gems were recovered and taken. At this time it was decided to head back and due to their companion Lorna Doone being in the infirmary, the group opted to return to the surface to meet backup with her rather than spend the night in the small room of death.
Sexy Long Beard had at this point vanished. The group briefly mourned his loss. Especially Theodora who had found the old coot amusing and helpful. Even while others questioned him. She hoped they would find him (alive) again soon.
The return journey was unremarkable thanks to their handy maps. The group returned through Nupo’s basement and vowed to have the Feather Fall spell for the following day of adventuring for a quick return to the third level!
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