TOPIC: Anglo Saxon Chronicle Season 3 - The Crusades

thank you both

The Demon took us towards the edge of the Bedouin camp and spoke to Septimus.

“The mountain?”

“Yes” said Septimus, a huge bang and we were cast into eternal darkness, which was broken by Wolfgars’ lighting of a torch. In front of us was a heavy wooden door with sturdy steel clasps. The air started to shimmer and shift creating patterns in the air, it swirled and started to coalesce and within moments before floated a Djinn.

“No one has entered this chamber since the day the Spear was brought here, not even the Romans found this lower level. I must warn you once you enter you can only leave if you have the spear, are you ready for this?”

“Let’s get on with it” said Septimus. The door swung open and we entered a chamber with two pools of water only a foot or so wide but virtually the length of the room, filled with bones. A dark pool at the far end and bell right at the back, just off an antechamber the sound of wailing fills our ears.

We carefully examined the room and it yielded nothing, the bell was plain and had nothing worth of note so, I went to the room with the wailing sound. Septimus followed me, I am still so angry with him and Tanith we just stood there in silence. Holding back my temper the pair of us stood there, time passed and I realised I should be checking the room out. Septimus must have taken a crash course on social skills, as he knew I was still mad, and for once did not pass comment, or a witty remark. The walls of the room are lined with eyes everyone different and no apparent order or symmetry to them.

Finally Septimus gave into his nature and said “I really have no Eye dear, on this Kyrias” pointing at his own eye to emphasis the gag. A breeze that was not there before blew and we watched the tumble weed roll by. At least he tried and my anger abated slightly. Looking carefully I made out the outline of a door a wall. Knowing something was there I looked closer and found right by one of the eyes on the same wall a mechanism, with careful use of my tools I engaged the mechanism and the door swung open.

The next room had four statues in each corner, a statue of the elephant god Ganesh in the middle pointing at the door we came in by and on the opposite wall was a head of a man with elongated ears, his mouth slightly open and a gentle breeze blowing through, I would assume to allow air into this part of the complex. Two doors line the other two walls. Tanith tried one door whilst I tried the other, but they are held steadfast. I unable to locate any mechanism on the door floor or walls when Madolf says

“Let’s try and turn the statue till it points at a door” Tanith goes to help Madolf and indeed it does turn, they turn it so it now points to the door I am by, which swings open and is………. Empty.

“Let’s turn it the other way” and they turn the statue to the other door, which swings open revealing a corridor. Travelling down the corridor we enter into a chamber containing six sarcophagi, a closed gate at the end of the room with wicked looking curved blades on the other side. Looking at the door it appears to be a trap or to keep something out of this room. I pick a small mechanism with my tools and the door rises.

“Let’s open a sarcophagus” says a delighted Wolfgar. There seems to be a bit of a role reversal as Madolf strongly disagrees but undeterred Wolfgar lifts the lid and is instantly attacked, as a strong hand flies out and grabs him by the throat. A bandaged body oozing some form of black liquid rises and lifts Wolfgar off the floor. I leap in and strike the creature, leaping back out making room for Madolf. Tanith steps up and smiles one of his winning smiles at the creature but it just looks back at him slightly bemused, as if unsure if Tanith is trying to turn undead or about to ask him out on date. Tanith’s actions do clarify for the rest of us that this is not an undead creature. Madolf jumps on top of another sarcophagus and strikes the creature dealing the death blow, before the body of the creature hits the floor the lid of the sarcophagus Madolf is balancing on shakes and he is thrown off. Madolf regains his balance and strikes the creature, followed shortly by Tanith and Wolfgar who all hit it and it crumples to the floor.

“Can we leave now?” I ask. Septimus and Madolf join me and we set off to investigate further whilst Tanith and Wolfgar ensure there are no other creatures in the remaining sarcophagi, luckily there are no more only the skeletal remains of priests and Wolfgar decides it best to pry the gems from their teeth.

In the corridor another head blowing a cool breeze is located directly in front of us and the corridor goes left and right, we take the right path and enter a room with a large central pillar made from jade, careful examination reveals a small hole in the jade, I try to pick it with my tools but it is beyond my skill.

Meanwhile Septimus is examining the head in the corridor and sees a key in its right ear.

“Ooh look a little jade key” I assume he has picked it up and will bring it to me when he has finished his examination of the head, he merely touches the left ear and the gentle breeze turns into a wind so strong it blows him off his feet, the gate in corridor slams shut locking Wolfgar and Tanith in and now I understand the blades on the door.

Please remember that Septimus and I fell out back at the oasis and as such I have hardly spoken to him in the last two weeks, let alone tend his every whim. This has had the knock on effect that Septimus has had to look after himself, fetch his own drinks and acts of whimsy, dress himself and I even put most of his spare Togas in his own backpack.

Unusually for Septimus his reactions were like lightning and he managed to grab onto the corner of the wall.

“KYRIAS!!! KEEERYYYASSS!!!” I turn and see him perpendicular to the floor. Septimus’s shouts make Madolf turn round.
“I got this Kyrias” says Madolf and rushes up the corridor to aid Septimus.

Septimus had been looking in the heads left ear, and the wall he is hanging onto is the left wall. We are in the room on the right so to grab Septimus, Madolf makes the decision to cross the corridor to reach him. Bracing himself against the strength of the wind Madolf is about half way when he slips and is blown into the blades on the gate. Luckily Tanith and Wolfgar are on the other side and make sure he is alright.

“KEEERRRRYYYAAASSSS” I am mad at him but not mad enough for him to die, well not by a trap anyway. So I make my way hastily up the corridor, just in time to see that Septimus made a poor job of tying his toga this morning. One moment he was clad hanging on for dear life, the next he is in his pants and sandals holding on for dear life. The Toga flies down the corridor and hits an ignominious Madolf. Septimus looks at me and raises one eyebrow. The comedy of the moment is not lost on me and I find myself no longer angry at the pair of them. I block the hole with one of Septimus’s togas, a rope, harmlessly forcing the air out of the heads ears. We retrieve Madolf and I open the door. Septimus gets dressed, and joins the rest of us in the room with the Jade pillar just as I am about to turn the key.

A panel in the column opens and inside are three scrolls written in the language of magic. Septimus takes a look and tucks them away in his back pack, which has somehow ended up on my back.

The opening of the door seems to have reset the head trap and the wind is no longer blowing through the ears, so I retrieve the toga, you never know when Septimus may need it.

Tanith decides to forge ahead and enters the room, it is heavily columned and the ceiling depicts many pictures of creatures. Tanith is looking around blissfully unaware of the snake that is directly above him, in the briefest of moments he is being restricted by the snake, Wolfgar strikes out at it striking it, as does Madolf, the snake lashes out at Wolfgar biting him, while increasing its grip on Tanith. Madolf lashes out at it but the slip at the wind corridor seems to have given him a trick knee and he slips throwing his sword away. I fire at the snake with my bow just as Wolfgar strikes it and my arrow seems to have slain the beast.
An anti chamber lies off the side of this room, it is ornate in decoration and twenty four black candles are held in two candelabras and one red candle in its own candlestick, two tapestries depicting men with animal heads, one feasting the other fighting, adorn opposite walls and an alter with a small casket on it, on the floor lies a rug.

I move cautiously over to the casket searching for hidden traps, avoiding the rug. I can find nothing to worry about and open the casket, inside is a small jade dragon, which blinks and says in a high pitched voice,
“You may ask me three questions about this place”
“Are you really a jade dragon?” asks Wolfgar
“Yes”
“Really?” enquires Madolf.
“Yes”
“So you’re not going to turn into a real dragon and kill us then” Tanith questions
“No, thank you come again”
“Er that wasn’t three questions about this place though was it?” I say
“No, you can still ask” So we ask how to get to the real Spear of Destiny, it tells us, We ask how we can tell which is the real spear, it answers and we ask how it is protected, once again it answers. As it finishes the last question it bites me, really quite hard. I stumble but gain my composure, I feel different less nimble I think.

Wolfgar decides to throw caution to the wind and jumps on the rug, and disappears. We then see him depicted in a moving mural on the floor, as if cast out at sea in high tides fighting for his life desperate to find something to cling to. Madolf helpfully thrusts his sword in and out the rug hoping Wolfgar will catch it but he doesn’t. Septimus thinks quickly and he casts a spell from one of the scrolls we found and Wolfgar reappears on the floor covered in water.

Moving on we start pondering how it is Madolf seems to have gained wisdom and Wolfgar lost some, we carry on following the only way we haven’t been.

It leads to an empty room, before anyone else can act Wolfgar rushes in and a gate slides across barring anyone from entering the room, we can see through it though as a barrier of gold blades, spins getting lower until Wolfgar is eviscerated completely and his blood drains through a hole on the floor, the blades disappear and the rooms is as clean as it was before. We stand there taking in the shock of what just happened. We have to go forward, we cannot go back.

I set about pinning the door so it will not impede a swift exit from the room but I slip and fall into the room.

“KYRIAS!!” shouts Septimus, now I know at this moment of my impending death, he realises what good friends we have been. “THROW MY BACKPACK, THERE’S A GOOD CHAP”.
Why the miserable…………..
but no I cannot let these be my last thoughts……….
I see myself and Septimus as children, we had some fun, my life flashes before me and I have had more good times than bad……………… Not a bad life all things considered…………
The blades touch me………………………………………………

another great write up. funny moment with Septimus & the wind trap. What a cliff hanger....

……………………………………….It is dark, darker than Wolfgar’s graying hair, darker than Septimus’s picture of a black cat at night in a coal cellar that he bought in one of the Bavarian states (it only cost him two gold), it was nearly as dark as the mean side of Tanith, but not as dark as Madolf’s joke about the nun, the devil worshiper, and the Unicorn and to be honest the less said about that the better.

My feet were in something cold, the air stale and damp. A deep oppressive feeling came over me. Despair like I’d never felt before, what was the point of going on. I could end it all right here no one would miss me. Is this the afterlife, have I been sent downstairs. It shouldn’t surprise me even though I have tried to live a good life, a decent life, I have done things I am not proud of, like telling Septimus I had washed his toga he had only worn for an hour, I hadn’t, I merely pressed it, oh the shame of it. No Elysium for me straight to Hades, I should have expected nothing more really. The dark, and cold were twisting my mind making waves of depression wash over me. I hoped Wolfgar had fared better when I heard “Click, Clik,Click, Whoosh”

“That’s better, oh there you are Kyrias when are the others getting here?” said Wolfgar. A loud “POP” and Septimus appeared, we were standing in stagnant water set in to a stone floor, the water trough could be no larger than 10 feet square. The torch illuminated the room, there was no visible exit, but fresco’s and statues of animals adorned the room. I climbed out of the sunken pool, the combination of the water and slime on my feet and the flagstones made it very slippery, before I could warn the others Wolfgar got out the pool and slipped, he slid all the way down into a corner in the room where an old crone suddenly appeared. “POP” Tanith arrived, she looked at Wolfgar prostrate at her feet and he whimpered slightly, I shouted.
“Stay back from him old woman, if indeed I can call you that” she looked at me but did nothing else. Septimus from the comfort of the pool cast a spell on her, I have no idea what it did, and clambered out the water. “POP” signaled the arrival of Madolf. It may be my imagination but the water seemed to get dirtier once he arrived.

I pulled Madolf towards me and helped him back onto his feet.

Septimus muttering incantations slipped and lost his concentration.

Tanith got out of the pool , shaking his legs flicking water and slime.

The woman looked at Wolfgar and he instantly attacked her, “Shouting stay out of my mind” it gave us heart she had found one.

I leapt in striking at her, but her frame withered and gaunt made her clothes baggy and I did not connect.

Divine refulgence engulfed Tanith and he hit the woman knocking het to the floor. Her hands covering her face, she pleaded for her life.

“If we let you live, will you show how to get out of here” I asked

“Yes but you must promise not to kill me” says the old woman

“I feel death maybe a welcome relief for you”

“No, I wish to remain”

“We have an accord then” She shows us that the one wall is an Illusion and where the secret door is to leave by.

Madolf is eyeing her suspiciously

“You are taking your friend with you aren’t you”

“Yes”

“Good, and why is the water dirtier now than before?” she asked

“Listen lady, I promised my mother I would bathe at least once a decade and I had another year to go, so neither of us is happy about this situation” replied Madolf

“Why were you looking at her like that Madolf?”

“It’s been a while”

“It would have to be a good deal longer for me” said Tanith

“You prefer them older?” asked Madolf incredulously, “You dirty beggar” we all stood there opened mouthed.

The corridor split into two one to the East and one to the North. Lining the corridor to the North were wooden doors that had swelled with the damp and were squeezed tight into the frame. I have seen enough prison cells during my stay at the Vatican to know what they look like but Wolfgar wanted to get inside to look around. He kicked, shoulder barged, and ran at the door and it held. Tanith went to assist but the door resisted. Eventually after witnessing such a sorry spectacle Madolf went over to the pair of them and pushed them out the way.
He lent back and kicked the door with such force that it separated from its hinges and flew into the room. He looked them both in the eye and moved out the way. Wolfgar ran in.

“It’s just a cell” he exclaimed, honestly I don’t know what he expected. Septimus and I had carried on down the corridor as it twisted and turned and eventually led to a large room with a body lying in the middle of the room on a slightly raised dais about thirty feet long and ten feet wide, this was surrounded by five feet of water all the way round but it was only six or seven inches deep. I heard my name being shouted, so we went back. Wolfgar and Tanith had decided to continue to the East.

“Look, it’s a room with a locked Sarcophagus, do you see the three locks Kyrias” said an excited Wolfgar

“I do” I replied

“And look Septimus, it’s some kind of writing”

“Yerrs. It says beware of the pit”

“What pit” asked Wolfgar

“I don’t know, but you should be wary of it when you do find it, sage advice in my opinion.” said Septimus.

“Look, nothing good happened last time you opened one of these things, and this one has three pad locks, I’m not sure about this.” I reasoned

“Aw, C’mon Kyrias” and Wolfgar set about the lock with his dagger and to his own amazement opened it. “That was luck, I’ve been trying for ages. Please, please,please,please,please”

“Do it Kyrias, he is getting on my nerves” said Septimus

“Please, please,please” I opened my tools and set about the locks.

“You checked?” I asked

“I did, nothing” now this is where the miscommunication happened what Wolfgar meant was he did nothing, as in no checking for traps or surprises. What I thought he said was “I did, but did not find anything” In the mere work of a moment I opened the lock and a needle stabbed me in the thumb…………….

I’ve often wondered what Kyrias does with this book, always scribing in it, needs better words like floccinaucinihilipilification to give it some weight. There that’s improved it no end. No go away, oops sorry.

“No, go away Wolfgar. I’m looking after it till he wakes up.” Time passes “I’m not sure beating him about the head and hitting him quite that hard will wake him up”. I’ve been reading a few pages here Kyrias and you are very opinionated by your own opinion. I’m not sure I’m impressed by the passage about my toga.

When you read this you need to go back to that bit and put it more like this.

Septimus the brave moved silent as the night, up the corridor toward the head. He had noticed a small key as they walked past, but not wanting all the glory waited to see if anyone else had seen it, but alas, no. So I went back with the pretence of looking around. I waited till it was safe before triggering the trap so no one else need be hurt by it. I could scarcely believe the strength of the wind as I grabbed the wall, the wind blowing me off my feet but I held on like a limpet. Madolf lumbered up the corridor, but managed to get himself caught in the trap. I shouted Kyrias,as I did not want to save myself it would be so degrading for everyone else.

Kyrias finally made his way up here as the wind blew stronger, it was taking Kyrias so long that I was unsure I could hold on for that length of time, so I loosened my toga to act as a cushion so as to not hurt Madolf as much when I landed on him.

There do you see how much better that is, you really must try harder Kyrias.

Wolfgar finally picked the last lock and took the top off the Sarcophagus, inside lies the body of a person, all wrapped in bandages, around its neck a pendant. Wolfgar climbs on the coffin and thrusts his sword though the remains.

I cast a really useful spell “Detect magic” and the pendant around the corpse (see Kyrias the correct word is corpse not mummy, or undead). I reached out for it, and as my hands clasped around it the corpse sat up and lifted me off my feet.

“If I let your pendant go, will you let me go?” I asked politely. The rude ruffian did not reply so I let go and he did not. Tanith managed to dive under the gate leading back out to the corridor just before it slammed shut leaving the sleeping form of Kyrias behind but saving himself. It was up to Wolfgar and I now, the wall started to move, creating even more excitement in Wolfgar and meaning our problem solving had a finite time and we needed to get on with it most expeditiously. Writing in this book is taking much of my time, I don’t know how Kyrias does it, it really does leave very little time for thinking, unless. Ah yes silly me maybe he does it afterwards. Lashing out at the corpse Wolfgars’ sword past right through it, another illusion. The wall got ever closer and Tanith was shouting something like “Don’t worry about me, I got out. Save your selves, like I did!!”

The wall was almost upon us when the Sarcophagus slid down about five feet; Wolfgar panicking and little else to do picked up the limp form of Kyrias.

“We’ll put him in the sarcopanus”

“Sarcohphagus” I corrected.

“Sarcoughanus?”

“No, sarcophagus”

“Are you going to help me put him in this ruddy coffin” said an irritated for no reason Wolfgar

“No, I don’t do manual labour, and I was trying to educate you, the word is SAR COPH A GUS”

“Look, help me put him in the Saaaarrrrr Koff eh gus”

“Close enough, old chap. Well done really well done, I think a chimp could have got it only marginally quicker” Wolfgar looks at me (Septimus the Great) and the wall and then back at me.

“Really?? Ae you going to help or”

“I’ll go for the “or”, if Kyrias were awake he could help you”

“What , he could help me what? Pick himself up, and put himself in there”

“Yes, he really is a most helpful kind of chap like that”

I helped pick up the prone body of

“I think it, is a bad idea Wolfgar what if it is another Illusion, and we do him some harm”

“I don’t care” replied Wolfgar, so totally on his own and without help from me (Septimus the great, my these margins are getting tight)

and threw him into the Sarcophagus. The body of Kyrias flew straight through the illusionary Sarcophagus and into …..

“Ah!!!! That Pit” exclaimed Wolfgar as Kyrias body dashed on the spikes about thirty feet below.
“At least he won’t feel it. “ I say.

The wall looms closer and closer. We are now against the rear wall, I finally give up on waiting for Wolfgar to save me and set my staff against the wall as a brace. When the wall reaches the end of my staff it passes right through it as it is an Illusion.

“Is that a spare Toga, you’re getting out?” Asked Wolfgar,

“Give me that” Sorry about that Kyrias, yes where were we, Ah Yes. My staff passed through the Illusion.

“An Illusion as I knew all along, I just wanted to see how you would react Wolfgar, and I have to say badly. You reacted very badly. In a bad situation you are not the man to be around.”

Tanith has insisted we spend the night and tried to patch you up best he can.

Thank you for scribing all that Septimus, and of course now I know how I came by all these new holes in me.

I haven’t felt pain like this since I was badly beaten up by those Celts back at the tower, anyway we can’t dilly dally round here all day, I’ll have to carry on regardless. Moving on through back to the room I was in yesterday the one with the body on a dais.

A shallow pool of water separates the dais from the rest of the room, the water then goes under the floor on the west side and enters a small ante chamber , with a door at the end and a deeper pool of water with a body in it. On the East side a corridor leads off. I search the walls but find nothing of note, Septimus checks the corpse. He really is turning into quite the little grave robber. Meanwhile Wolfgar and Tanith are checking out the ante chamber.

“Kyrias this door is locked” Shouts Wolfgar,

“Not, interested” I reply “Maybe if we can’t find anything the other way”

Undeterred Wolfgar mumbled quietly. “Kyrias, had a needle in the thumb, put a little thimble on. Checking around, can’t see any little holes or anything, good to go”

“Did you say something Wolfgar?” asked Tanith

“No just talking to myself. How is the corpse coming along?”

“Good, good, thanks. Can’t seem to find anything of worth on it, think I might leave it alone now, lest an arm fall off.” Tanith produced his strange laugh “ERRHA, EERHA” the ERR is on the intake and the HA is forced out really very loudly and quickly.

Tanith climbed out of the pool and started to dry himself off.

“Shouldn’t you get Kyrias to look at that?” Tanith asked who must have had his head underwater at the time Wolfgar shouted to Kyrias.

“He doesn’t want to, still not finished searching the other room yet.” Replied Wolfgar

“Maybe you should wait?” offered Tanith.

“Hmm, maybe, I think, yes, just a little twist”…………..

Wolfgar is kneeling in front of the door trying to pick the lock with his dagger, fifteen to twenty feet away Tanith is drying himself off at the end of the room, continuing through about another thirty to forty feet Madolf and Septimus are just finishing up checking the corpse on the dais.

“How’s Kyrias” enquired Madolf,

“Not too happy with Wolfgar, really throwing him down a pit like that what was he thinking” replied Septimus

“He is just staying out his way at the moment. Kyrais very pragmatically said these things happen but I can tell he is still upset.”

“Only me then”

“Only you what”

“Only me who hasn’t done anything stupid and upset him” said Madolf

“Yes, well, lest said sooner mended, but I have noticed that Kyrias is getting tetchy these days” remarked Septimus.

“He has a point, I mean let’s look at what happened recently, you nor Tanith would not be deterred about the demon”

“No but..”

“That was only a day ago, and then you and Wolfie throw him down a pit”

“Ah yes but to be fair it was more Wolfgar, did you just call him Wolfie?”

“To be fair according to Tanith, it was more the pair of you acting like headless chickens.”

“But…” a bead of sweat trickles down Septimus’s face,

“To be fair Tanith says you both threw him down there”

“Who you going to believe, me or Tanith” said Septimus “seriously?”

“I’m going to go with Tanith there” replied Madolf

“Wolfie eh! When did you start……” Septimus desperately trying to change the conversation in case I overhear.

“I mean when I start becoming one of the sensible ones in the group you know you have problems” said Madolf

Fortunately for Septimus the change of conversation he was so desperately after came, unfortunately it is the manner in which it came.

………..” little twist and” said Wolfgar as an arctic blast engulfed him and Tanith, the blast was then funneled through the doorway and opened up on Madolf and Septimus.

I smiled wryly as a snowflake landed gently on my shoulder, and I set off down the other corridor. Septimus took his leave of his conversation with Madolf and caught up with me. We went further down the corridor following its turns and twists and entered what is best described as a mausoleum, four tiers high and lined with coffin after coffin, corpse after corpse, thousands of them.

“What do you make of that Septimus I ask”

“Well it is certainly different, maybe we have to place those two corpses from the other rooms here and a secret door opens”

“Imaginative Septimus”

“It’s what I do” Septimus agreed

“Let’s see if we can find an empty chamber then” we started looking into the chambers, and the bodies started to move.

“If only Madolf or Tanith were with us, this looks bad Kyrias”

“You should be thankful they are not with us, because we can take a course of action not normally open to us Septimus”

“What’s that Kyrias”
“R U N”

We flew back down the corridor which is only wide enough for one, a good place to make a stand. I stopped and turned.

“What are you doing”

“I’ll hold them off you go and get the others” Just as the first one closed with me, Septimus turned the corner.

“Septimus” he returned

“Yes, Kyrias”

“Quickly, get them quickly”

“Okay..” and he disappears again

“Septimus”

“Yes, Kyrias” and he re-appears

“Have you got them yet?”

“No, but I will and I’ll go quickly”

“Thanks” I stopped trying to smash them into pieces as soon as one was downed another took its place. I pushed them back down the corridor and fought defensively so as they wouldn’t hit me. Septimus returned shortly with Madolf and Tanith. Tanith once more radiated with light and a wave left him destroying all the undead creatures. I swapped places with Tanith just as a second wave clashed with him, as the power of the Lord surged through Tanith, the ferocity of the attacks against him increased. Tanith set forth another wave killing all undead in its wake. Twice more he did this till they were all gone.

The mausoleum now empty took a while to search properly but we found a secret passage.

“I must tell you, Wolfgar has found quite a lot of money, and he doesn’t want to share”

“What does he need money for?” asked Septimus

“We weren’t all born with a silver spoon Septimus” said Madolf.

Just then Wolfgar walked in. Perhaps the word walk is unfair, his pockets were that laden with treasure, he is moving his legs like he has been riding a horse continuously for a month. Chink, Chink

“Alright Wolfie!!”

“Alright Madolf”

“Where have you been Wolfie?” asked Septimus

“It’s Wolfgar to you” Chink, Chink

“What’s the matter, you seem burdened my friend” I say

“Nothing, I’m good thanks”

“We found the exit, it’s up there. Want to go first I’ve already opened it “

“Er yeah, go on then” said Wolfgar. We were in fits of silent laughter watching Wolfgar, trying to carry that much gold up twenty foot. With tears in our eyes we followed Wolfgar into large room with a water trough and three large pots of what looked like mud. We all looked at one another.

“Wolfgar found a riddle” said Tanith

“Did I? Ohh yes seeing this room I think I have it cracked. We have to put the gold into the water trough and water from the trough into the pots and one of them will make the door open”

“Nice, what gold” I asked

“The gold from the……..arse!!” said a deflated Wolfgar.

Emptying his pockets and back pack from the considerable amount of gold we placed it all into the water trough. I picked up the ladle and poured it into the first pot. Nothing happened. Then the second pot, still nothing. I had just finished pouring water into the third pot when a creature oozed out of the pot taking the shape of a golem, and it smashed Wolfgar in the mouth. We all struck the creature I jumped in smashed it and jumped back out again just as it exploded. The fight was over so quickly the second pot was just taking shape, once more we attacked it, but this time it stood. Just as the third pot manifested, I struck out at the third one but missed, which was lucky, because instead of attacking it opened the door, with a special clay key. The second one exploded and the third clambered back into its pot.

We are just about to go through the door, and Wolfgar is looking forlornly at his lost fortune.

Another excellent write up. I really look forward to reading these every week.

The group has changed ever since the release of the demon and we don't seem to work well together maybe it's just my own perception of the the Caverns we going through it seems that the happy banter that we used to have,has been replaced. we now need to get the job done as soon as possible I expect that once the Titan has been expelled we can finally get back to normal they Caverns that we currently are traversing have provided traps and tricks for us all to try to conquer. In this instead of being one unit , we are attacking them in our different ways , either being subtle or using brute force , separately which is making the journey slow