The Tangled Depths - part ii, The Lair of the Lizard

After finding the dogeared book containing Kurbak Sloop's scribbled notes and star-charts as they escaped from the Jade Obelisk camp the Swordfyshes spent an uncomfortable, though relatively safe, night atop a rocky outcrop. They set watches and rested as best they could. Krashhart and Old Mudgob studied Kurbak's notes.

At first light the next day they turned south-east on the heading that the notes laid out. Even though the previous day had not gone well the crew were all in high spirits - the prospect of the adventure to come, and the loot they were sure to find in the underground treasury, buoyed their mood.

When they arrived at the spot they discovered another make-shift encampment - this one was centred around the remains of a vast Megadroth skeleton.

Old Mudgob identified three possible entrances to the Vault. The Swordfyshes found all of them were guarded by a Seraphon warband, led by a Slann Starmaster.

Old Mudgob quickly worked out which entrance was the real one and the Swordfyshes closed in on it.

Docker Goff spotted an opportunity for glory and quickly explained his idea to the Shaman, who chuckled and nodded his consent to the smaller orruk's plan. Goff scuttled off toward the nearest Gnarloak.

Hook called out that there were lizardmen close at hand.

The Slann tried to stop the pirates from opening the Vault - he ranted and raged at them all the while blasting arcane magicks from a high platform. He gave a long and very dull monologue that the orruks largely ignored - something along the lines of dire warnings about an ancient evil that must not be freed. It was hard to hear the Slann over the noise of his sorcerous blasts and his followers' howls.

Yardarm, Lugger and Hook quickly took control of the Vault's entrance.

With mounting frustration the Slann tried time and again to convince them to stop; warnings, threats, bribes, even appeals to their better nature.

The sauruses threw themselves at the pirates and were cut-down one by one. Docker Goff reached the Slann's platform only to find the strange frog had floated off, down toward the Vault entrance.

Krashhart and Leeway closed in to reinforce the pirates' hold on their objective as Lugger brutally hacked down the last saurus.

The orruks just laughed at the little skinks, as they tried to crowd into the Vault's doorway under the huge Megadroth skull, Yardarm simply shoved them out of the way and sent them scampering off into the forest.

The Slann Starmaster realised his last hope of stopping them opening the Vault was now gone and he hurriedly withdrew, taking his few surviving followers to safety, as far and fast as he could.

+++

The pirates tumbled into the Vault, chattering excitedly and already calculating the value of the treasure they expected to find there. The dark walls and ceilings of the stone corridors and rooms were covered in geometrical patterns; carvings of zig-zags, squares within squares and oddly-aligned triangles. Stars seemed to softly sparkle on every surface; lines of light pulsed with strange unknown energy between them. The main tunnel opened out into a spacious room. The pirates stopped short, suddenly quiet and cautious. They carefully looked around the underground chamber but the only thing they could see was a large stone sarcophagus in the middle of the room.

As soon as they enthusiastically smashed open the sarcophagus a cloud of black 'smoke' rushed out. The smoke enveloped them, choking and panicking them. They fled the Vault, coughing and spluttering out into the daylight again.

The black smoke followed them out of the tunnel then suddenly seemed to gather itself up and moved off to the south-west - against the direction the wind was blowing! As they recovered and started to try and puzzle-out what had happened, and more importantly "Where has the blasted treasure gone?!", a red haze descended over the orruks’ minds. A frenzied blood-lust overwhelmed them.

Old Mudgob started babbling - unintelligible nonsense that could possibly have been an ancient language. Without warning he rushed off, following the black smoke - into the woods, deeper and deeper.

The rest of the crew followed him without a second thought - it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do...

~ ⦽ ~