Adventurers
- Alfredward (Dwarf 4)
- Dulo Chaec (Magic User 2)
- Knuckles (Thief 2)
- Koko (Cleric 4)
- Mandras (Dwarf 2)
- Rarder (Fighter 5)
Prepared to confront the King Under the Mountain and deal with him once and for all, the party readied their gear and descended once again into the depths beneath the charred remains of the monastery.
They made their way south, following the intel gleaned from interrogated prisoners. They rounded a corner after a lengthy corridor and saw themselves confronted with another, with a visible set of double doors at the end and a few passageways leading off either side. They quickly split up to check each, finding down each passage some empty rooms containing little more than scrapes along the floor to indicate some heavy furniture had been moved.
They turned their attention to the double doors. Bracing themselves for a fight, Rarder and Alfredward hurled themselves at the doors, splintering them open. The party found themselves looking down a corridor of wooden-planked walls reaching up to a couple of feet from the stone ceiling, at the end of which stood a stone throne. Spaced out along the length of each 'wall' was a hole, from which emerged a robed arm which flung a flask of flaming oil at the party, injuring Alf. The party lobbed some oil flasks back, hoping to burn the walls down but the wood had been sodden with water.
The party marched down the corridor, only to find the end blocked by rows of spear-armed hairy ones backed up by archers. Regardless, the adventurers charged in, weapons flailing, as Koko called upon the whims of Mar Nod to hold the bow-armed hairies in place. A sound of heavy iron scraping along stonework came from behind either wall, and then two small waves of boiling oil swept beneath the wooden barriers, meeting right at the adventurers' feet. Scalded and burnt, most of them leapt back or onto the walls, but an enraged Alf downed a potion and grew in size to fill the space and, with a roar, knocked down one of the walls, revealing a collection of hairy ones and hooded figures chanting in the space behind.
The adventurers surged towards these newly-revealed foes, skirting around the large puddle of boiling oil in the middle of the room, as the cultist prayers fizzled uselessly against Rarder's magic-absorbing ioun stone. Dulo unleashed a magical slumber upon the hooded figures, and the party set about butchering them and the hairy ones. A crashed echoed around the place as Rarder's retainers brought down the second wall, bringing a large group of more hooded figures into view.
Rarder leapt up upon the throne and roared out a challenge to the King Under the Mountain, a challenge which was met by an echoing roar as a large hairy one charged from a doorway, flanked by guards and several hairless ones. Koko and his retainers joined the enormous Alf in charging to Rarder's aid, several of the hooded ones likewise rushed in and battle was met.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the boiling oil puddle, Rarder's retainers clashed with the rest of the hooded figures. They distracted two of them enough that the pair, struggling under the weight of another cauldron of oil, miss-timed their spill and flooded several of their own front rank with the scalding liquid. As they collapsed into the oil their bodies burst into flames, burning up the robes and leaving blackened skeletons beneath. The flames ignited the large puddle and suddenly the room was bathed in the light of a massive fire. One of Rarder's retainers fell, and another staggered back, grievously wounded. Mandras and Hats leapt forward to hold the line. As they fought, the chant from one hooded cultists finished and, despite the flames, an enchanted darkness engulfed that half of the room.
Back in the large brawl, Alfredward cut his way through the hairless ones, the gigantic dwarf unaffected by their paralysing touch, though not before one had incapacitated one of Koko's retainers. Another was speared to death by one of the king's guards. Rarder flailed his magical axe atop the throne, trying to hold multiple attackers at bay while he targeted the king, but though he drew blood from the large hairy one he had met his match. Fighting an equal adversary but himself surrounded by assailants, the stout fighter, veteran of so many expeditions, was eventually cut down.
The King Under the Mountain held the dead warrior aloft with both hands and called upon the adventurers to flee back up towards the surface. Sensing that the tide of battle had turned, the party reluctantly took him up on it, and pulled back. Alf demanded Rarder's body and, retaining the fighter's magical shield and axe, the hairy one tossed the corpse at the dwarf's feet.
Carrying their fallen comrade's body and supporting many of their badly wounded and unconscious companions, the adventurers retraced their steps out of the room. The combined forces of the hairy ones and hooded cultists, their own numbers heavily depleted, nevertheless followed behind, forcing the party to move quickly. Koko and Hats led the way while Alf brought up the rear. Still magically enlarged, the dwarf was keeping an eye on the enemies at their backs when suddenly a series of cries and yelps brought his attention back to his comrades. Having turned the corner, those at the front found the floor dropping away from beneath them and plunging nearly half the party down into the darkness.
They slipped and slid down a steep, greased spiral chute, knocking into each other and unable to halt their progress. Eventually the chute ended, and Koko and Knuckles, along with the ally Greth and retainers Hats, Alesandese and (canine) Bruce, were in freefall for a brief moment before crashing into water. Gasping for air, they resurfaced and, seeing that they were in a pool, struggle over to the edge and haul themselves onto dry-ish stone. They were more winded from the fall than injured, but looking up the dwarves could just about make out the edge of the chute some 30 feet overhead. They were in an octagonal room with doors in each wall.
Up above, the remnants of the party - eight adventurers and a dog, including several carrying heavy injuries, a paralysed retainer and a spell-less magic user - gazed at a forty-foot long gap in the floor. As the floor slowly swung back up, the sound of their enemies behind them grew louder as the King Under the Mountain led his forces onwards, eyes gleaming in the torchlight...