# (YBA) Drax in Wicht's Lair



## Wicht (Jun 6, 2002)

Drax had not entered Wicht's lair alone.  He had entered with a group.  Never leaving the cemetery, they had encountered zombies, skeletons, even a werewolf and had been victorious over all of it.  However as they went through the cemetery, exploring, slowly but surely the others had left the group.  Finally it had been just Drax and Slayzer.  In the last tomb, the two had encountered a pair of Wight Sentries, guarding an inner chamber.

They had defeatedthe wights but Slayzer had then left, leaving Drax to face the contents of the tomb on his own.  What he had discovered had been a vampire Lord, far too powerful for him to fight alone.  Drax had fled for his life.  Only the light of the sun had kept the vampire in his tomb.  But the sun will eventually go down.

So Drax finds himself alone in the cemetery, with just a few hours to go till the dusk.


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## Dalamar (Jun 6, 2002)

Drax keeps on with his monology.
"The best thing right now would propably be to leave the cemetary till morning rises... or I could try to find some shelter."
He checks his money pouch.
"Ah, it seems I have enough cash to buy myself a defensive weapon to use! I'll just fetch that on my way."

He leaves the cemetary for any nearby village and buys a secondary sword to be used as defense (shield) for 5 yen.
He then returns to the cemetary when the sun has risen.


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## Wicht (Jun 7, 2002)

It takes Drax a bit longer to find a decent sword than he had planned and he eventually has to wait for a suitable one to be forged for him.

But he makes it back to the cemetery on the dawn of the Tsunami.

There are no guards at the cemetery gate this time when he arrives.


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## Dalamar (Jun 7, 2002)

"Now where did those stupid goblins go? Bah, it doesn't really matter."
Drax pushes the cemetary gates open and enters the cemetary.


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## Wicht (Jun 7, 2002)

The cemetery gate is locked and Drax has to take the time to unlock it before he can enter.  Once that happens however he finds himself back in the cemetery he left.  The path stretches out before him and on either side, as far as he can see, are tombstones.  

In the distance he thinks he might be able to hear someone running.


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## Dalamar (Jun 7, 2002)

_Running? Might that be an ally or a foe? The skeleton guards didn't run, that I'm sure of._
Drax will move towards the sound of running, carefully to be the one to see the other first.


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## Wicht (Jun 8, 2002)

Drax sees a cloaked figure running down the path from the north.  The figure seems to be looking over its shoulder and does not see Drax yet.


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## Dalamar (Jun 8, 2002)

Drax will take the time to wait the figure to come very close and then yell.
"Halt! Who are you and what business do you have in this haunted place?"


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## Wicht (Jun 8, 2002)

The running figure, a man, sees Drax for the first time and snarls, "Out of my way peasant or I will strike you down!"


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## Dalamar (Jun 8, 2002)

"I am no peasant. Nor will I move untill you tell me what you are doing in this foul place."
Drax will try to see if the man is carrying any weapons and also try to evaluate how good a fighter the man is.


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## Wicht (Jun 8, 2002)

The man draws a sharp sword as he runs.  He seems to hold it competently.  He apparently means to run Drax down if Drax does not move.

Drax must decide whether to stand and fight or dive out of the way.


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## Dalamar (Jun 8, 2002)

"I don't really want to fight you, but I told you I won't step aside before you state your  business."
Drax will draw his swords and ready for the incoming fighter.


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## Wicht (Jun 8, 2002)

The man attacks.

*Trine*
*CR:* 2
*Hits:* 2
*Possessions:* Keen sword (+2 to sword hits)
*Yen factor:* 1
*powers:*Fist of fury

_Trine attacks Drax_ *The hammer eliminates the wastelands; conceals the offensive of the flame!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 8, 2002)

The lizard flips in the midst of the glacier as it shatters the cave; shields the offensive of the insect as it reflexively guards against the drive of the sickle!

"You really think you've got what it takes to take me down?"
Drax jumps in the air and makes a circle kick right at the man's mouth. As he lands, he blocks the man's attacks with his main sword and uses the defensive mostly for back up.
Wow! What a move!


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## Wicht (Jun 9, 2002)

Drax flips over the mans smashing attack and lands a *1 hit* blow to his chin.  The man makes an attack even as he tries to continue moving past Drax.  And now Drax hears the sound of more footsteps.

*Round:* 2
*Hits Remaining:* 1

_Trine attacks Drax_ *The ki-rin glides underneath the ravine; shreds the kick of the iron!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 9, 2002)

The northstar tramples the clearing; avoids the roar of the maze so it glides by the aggression of the ice!

"Who's that? Who are you running away from?
Tell me, I might be able to help."
If the man doesn't stop running and start explaining, Drax will dodge the attack and then grab the man's cloak and pull so the man will fall down.


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## Wicht (Jun 9, 2002)

Drax's maneuver works and he subdues the man on the ground.

"You fool!" hisses the other warrior.

Drax sees two other men now.  They are all armed and are running towards where Drax is.

"Halt!" they call out, "Stay where you are!

_Drax gains half an experience point for winning the struggle._


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## Dalamar (Jun 10, 2002)

"Who are you? What do you want?"
Drax bellows to the newcomers. More silently he says to the one he downed.
"Why are they after you? What did you do?"
He keeps his weapons drawn but relaxes somewhat.


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## Wicht (Jun 10, 2002)

"I stole a sword," hisses the man.

The others are close now.  "Very good!" says one of them surveying the scene.  "Lets just chop his head off then and we will be done!"


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## Dalamar (Jun 10, 2002)

"Get up."
Drax tries to evaluate the men coming; what are his chances if he was forced to fight.
"What did this man do? Why is he going to be executed without mercy?"


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## Wicht (Jun 10, 2002)

As Drax lets the other man get up and the two chasing him arrive, several things happen at once.  Instead of answering him, one of the men charges at Drax with his sword drawn, apparently upset at him for letting the runner get up.  The man Drax had wrestled down, allowed up, begins to try and run again, even as the other guy tries to run him down.

*Thugs*
*CR:* 3
*Hits:* 3
*Possessions:* Sword, Dagger
*Yen Factor:* 1
*Powers:* Expert of the Dark Sword
Expert of the City

*Round:* 1
* Hits Remaining:* 3 / 3 / 2

_Thug 1 attacks Drax:_ *The manticore bashes the plain; silences the efforts of the grass!*

_Thug 2 attacks Trine:_ *The snake annihilates the waterfall; averts the tempest of the elements!*

_Trine tries to run:_ *The unicorn spins across the temple; dodges the chaos of the ledge!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 10, 2002)

Shove at Trine!
At Thug 1:*The crane dances below the badlands; shields against the rising of the spring!*
Fists of Fury:*The cherry blossom quells the peaks; parts the thrust of the sickle!*

"Oh, no you don't! You're going to help me clean your mess!"
Drax will once again pull the sword-thief to the ground. He will then spring towards the incoming men and try to kick the other's groin. He then hops back to where he was so he has a good chance of stopping the if he tries to escape.

*Abilities used:*
Shove, Fists of Fury
*Abilities left:*
Fated, Dirty Trick
Dang, I lost a set of good moves due to the boards going down for me when I tried to post.


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## Wicht (Jun 11, 2002)

Drax shoves Trine out of the way of his attacker but as he turns to defend himself he is struck for *1 hit*.  Trine snarls at Drax but turns his attention to his attacker.

*Round:* 2
* Hits Remaining:* 3 / 3 / 2

_Thug 1 attacks Drax:_ *The kama slaughters the wastelands; guards against the cut of the spring!*

_Thug 2 attacks Trine:_ *The dagger slays the plain; negates the push of the flame!*

_Trine attacks Thug 2:_ *The lizard eliminates the labyrinth; unfailingly averts the chi of the star!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 11, 2002)

At Thug 1:*The chain flies within the hells; leaps over the rising of the garden!*

Drax attacks the Thug with hellish ferocity, trying to win the fight by strenght rather than skill.

*Hits:* 5/6


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## Wicht (Jun 11, 2002)

Drax manages to gracefully avoid his enemies strong attack and land a blow.  But Trine is not so fortunate and his life is ended when a dagger plunges into his heart killing him.

The other thug does not immediatelly attack Drax but instead takes a moment to retrieve the stolen sword.

*Round:* 3
* Hits Remaining:* 2 / 3 

_Thug 1 attacks Drax:_ *The spider leaps over the plain; defends against the terror of the blade for it falls atop the efforts of the body!*

_Thug 2 picks up the sword Trine carried._


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## Dalamar (Jun 11, 2002)

At Thug 1:*The foot slides atop the ruins; parts the thrust of the cave!*

"Dang! Now I need to get answers from the two of you."
Drax makes a sliding sweep at the first thug's legs.


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## Wicht (Jun 11, 2002)

The thug leaps over Drax's initial low sweep but Drax, immediatelly following up his attack with a kick aimed high scores *1 hit*.

*Round:* 4
* Hits Remaining:* 1 / 3 

_Thug 1 attacks Drax:_ *The spider lies underneath the hells as it quietly wracks the wind; guards against the foray of the abomination!*

_Thug 2 attacks Drax:_ *The mantis rides on top of the foothills; menacingly quells the rising of the ledge!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 11, 2002)

At Thug 1:*The oak dominates the clouds; silences the gaze of the garden!*

Drax somersaults up from his position in the ground and then smashes the pommel of his sword at the thug's face.


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## Wicht (Jun 11, 2002)

Drax barely manages to strike the first thug, but it is enough and the man goes down..

*Round:* 5
* Hits Remaining:* - / 3 

_Thug 2 attacks Drax:_ *The northstar drowns the volcano; fends off the push of the wood!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 11, 2002)

At Thug 2:*The manticore destroys the desert; averts the cut of the grass!*

"You can surrender now and I don't have to smash your face too."
Drax flips in air once again, trying to kick the still standing thug with the his heel.


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## Wicht (Jun 12, 2002)

"Surrendur?" says the man with a laugh, "It is you who should surrender.

Drax attacks, but the mans attack is stronger and in the exchange it is Drax who takes *1 hit*.

*Round:* 6
* Hits Remaining:* - / 3 

_Thug 2 attacks Drax:_ *The scythe severs the grotto; shields against the foray of the iron!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 12, 2002)

At Thug 2:*The sword slides near the volcano; averts the storm of the sky!*

Drax, seeing that his opponent has no intention to surrender, slashes with his sword at the thug's shoulder.

*Hits:* 4/6


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## Wicht (Jun 12, 2002)

The man parries and then strikes Drax for *1 hit*.

*Round:* 7
* Hits Remaining:* - / 3 

_Thug 2 attacks Drax:_ *The phoenix speaks underneath the orchard; negates the throw of the rodent!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 12, 2002)

At Thug 2:*The wolf kicks within the labyrinth; parries the kick of the maze!*

Seeing that his blade isn't doing any damage to the thug, Drax tries to land a telling blow at his adversary's stomach.
"You're good, mind telling me where you learned to fight?"

*Hits:* 3/6


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## Wicht (Jun 12, 2002)

"The city of the bard!" grunts the man just before Drax kicks him.

*Round:* 8
* Hits Remaining:* - / 2 

_Thug 2 attacks Drax:_ *The southern cross speaks facing the vineyard; shields the aggression of the body!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 12, 2002)

At Thug 2:*The spear tumbles within the plain; harshly defends against the edge of the feline!*

"I don't think I've heard about that one."
Keeping with his advancing movement, Drax rolls on the ground before trying to stab the thug.


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## Wicht (Jun 12, 2002)

does drax have a spear?  I can't find his stats.


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## Dalamar (Jun 12, 2002)

No spear, sixth character from the bottom.


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## Wicht (Jun 12, 2002)

heh - i didn't even think to look in the registration thread.  I did have his stats printed up on my desk and have normally just refered to that.

Drax strikes the man again

*Round:* 9
* Hits Remaining:* - / 1 

_Thug 2 attacks Drax:_ *The crab strikes the badlands; leaps over the onslaught of the elements!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 12, 2002)

At Thug 2:*The willow sucker punches the swamp; avoids the storm of the field!*

Seeing that he is on the advantage, Drax lets loose a quick punch aimed at the thug's mouth.


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## Wicht (Jun 12, 2002)

Drax fells the man, who with a look of surprise on his face, collapses to the ground.  

_Drax gains 1.5 experience points_

There are also two daggers, two normal swords and one master-work blade (+2 to sword attacks) all told.


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## Dalamar (Jun 13, 2002)

Drax loots the bodies and closes the young mans eyes. He then moves to shake the thug he first downed.
"Where are you coming from? Where was this sword stolen?"


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## Wicht (Jun 13, 2002)

As Drax tries to pry information from the man, he realizes he is dead.  The hilt of his sword, on the last blow, must have smashed something important in the man's face.  the other man is also dead.

If you want to leave them alive you have to say so during the attack itself.  Otherwise the default assumption is you are striking to kill


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## Dalamar (Jun 13, 2002)

Hmm... I'll have to remember that. I just thought they wouldn't die 'cause they didn't take multihit hits, just like chars. I'll just have to remember that they're just NPCs.
"Bah! I'll have to pull my punches next time."
Drax makes sure his new belongings are in place and will stay that way.
"I think I've been pushing it for long enough..."
He heads for the entrance to the Tomb of Wicht.


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## Wicht (Jun 14, 2002)

Are you heading for the tomb of Wicht or the northern exit from the cemetery?

I assumed the northern exit, but then, re-reading your post, I couldn't make up my mind.


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## Dalamar (Jun 14, 2002)

I thought it's obvious 


> He heads for the entrance to the Tomb of Wicht.



 Pretty clear in my eyes... What confused you?


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## Wicht (Jun 15, 2002)

Ah ok.  I wasn't sure if you meant tomb as in TOMB  or tomb as in LAIR.    But once I think about it, you guys never did hit either yet so....  forget I said anything 

Drax remembers faintly seeing a huge tomb on the very western end of the cemetery.  Figuring the largest tomb must be Wicht's he heads off that way...

As he walks, however he recalls the words of the Ancient Masters who gave him the key to get in the cemetery.  They said that in order to enter the lair, one had to pass _through_ the cemetery...

The cemetery seems very quiet as Drax walks westward, passing other tombs and, of course, the multitude of gravestones.  At last he reaches a huge tree, from which, silently, bodies are swinging, hung by their necks.  Going west from here he sees a well ahead of him.  Reaching the well he observes that north of him, is a road heading north, passing by an ornately decorated crypt.  west of him there is no path, but nevertheless there is a huge tomb here.  It is the size of a palace.  There is a columned porch and two massive double doors behind the columns.  Above the columns, Are engraved the words, _*The Tomb of Wicht, May He Rest in peace Forever*. _


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## Dalamar (Jun 15, 2002)

The entrance I've used to enter the cemetary was in the south, right?
_Now this is problematic... to heed what the Ancient Masters said and head north, or to go to such an obvious place like that....
Wait a second! The actual Tomb was to be underground, that one is pretty much over it. Maybe I'll check what's in the north before going in._
Drax goes to examine the northern parts of the cemetary to see if this tomb he sees is actually the Tomb of Wicht.


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## Wicht (Jun 16, 2002)

Correct, you entered from the south.  You know from prior experience that the main path runs from a gate on the south side of the cemetery to a gate on the north side.  

The cemetery is a very large place on the inside.  Drax heads north and after passing the ornate tomb he saw (decorated with roses and wolves), he hits an east west path that he recognizes and sees north of him the tomb in which he fought the vampire.  Heading around this, Drax sees the cemetery fence, running east and curving away to the southwest.  Following the fence for a while, Drax goes down hill and up and then downhill again until he is eventually back at the place close to where he fought the werewolf.  A little bit further along the fence brings him to the northern gate.  

The gate is in a dip between two hills and east of him he sees a steep hill rising south, (the fence running straight east at the base of the incline) atop of which are the back of tombs.  There seem to be holes dug into the side of the hill, like giant rat or snake holes, just below the tombs.  

On the other side of the gate, the ground is cemented, but it is hard for some reason to make out details.


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## Dalamar (Jun 16, 2002)

"I can always come back..."
Drax steps through the gate to see what happens.


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## Wicht (Jun 16, 2002)

The northern portion of the cemetery fence is built on a hill.  Just north of the fence the ground drops steeply away.  Just outside the northern gate, a semicircular "platform" of earth has been paved over.  A small foot high ornamental fence surrrounds this cement and one may stand on the edge of  the platform and look over the valley below.  

As he exits the cemetery and stands on the observation platform, Drax first notices that there are steps leading down from this platform on the west.  The steps, built into the side of the hill lead to a small cobbled path running north through the valley below.  The path heads straight to a large cavernous opening which heads into the hill across the valley.  Between the two hills, on the western side of the path below, is an old fighting arena.  From where Drax stands, the arena appears to be falling apart.


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## Dalamar (Jun 16, 2002)

Drax heads for the fighting arena.


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## Wicht (Jun 17, 2002)

Drax descends the steps and heads up the cobbled path at the bottom of the hill.  

There is a small path that leads off of the main and heads to the arena.  As Drax gets closer to the fighting ground, he sees that the wood is ancient and in places it is rotting.  There are stands for spectators and four fighting pavilions, where one would expect the fighters to prepare and wait for their fight.  

As Drax steps onto the floor of the arena, he is startled by the fact that torches around the arena suddenly spring into life.  

A voice from behind Drax asks, "For honor, for profit or to the death?"


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## Dalamar (Jun 17, 2002)

Drax turns around to see who it is that spoke to him and answers.
"Honor does not feed me and I wish for no-one's death. For profit then."
_Interesting, interesting indeed._


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## Wicht (Jun 18, 2002)

There is no one behind Drax, but even as he spins to look he is aware of movement in the sand at the other end of the arena floor.  

Rising up out of the sand, is a figure which, taking shape, looks familiar to Drax.  It is himself, equipment and all!  As Drax stares at his doppleganger, the voice, again from behind Drax asks, "What is your wager? Place it on the arena floor."


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## Dalamar (Jun 18, 2002)

"Three swords and a dagger."
Drax throws the swords from the thugs he beated, as well as his original sword and the other dagger he got from the thugs, to the arena.


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## Wicht (Jun 19, 2002)

Drax's double throws identical swords and daggers to the ground.  Then walking closer to Drax, the doppleganger says, in a perfect imitation of Drax's voice, 

"*I find your cousin to be cretinous, your graveyard to be squandered, and your mojo to be valueless.*"


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## Dalamar (Jun 19, 2002)

Drax nods at the insults, that's what he was going to say. But not wanting to repeat himself (or the doppleganger, but that doesn't matter), he says:

*"I find your geisha to be honorless, your playground to be dilapidated, and your blocking to be helpless."*


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## Wicht (Jun 19, 2002)

From behind Drax, the voice says, "ah, it is true that our playground is not what it used to be, the challenger may set the length of the match. And just a reminder that weapons are not allowed, this is a test of skill!"


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## Dalamar (Jun 19, 2002)

"Three flags it is then."
Drax takes off his armor and weapons and puts them to the side of the arena. He then flexes his muscles a little and takes on a fighting stance.
"I'm ready."


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## Wicht (Jun 19, 2002)

The doppleganger also puts away its equipment and then takes up a stance opposite Drax.

The two combatants begin to move at each other at almost the same time.

*Drax's Doppleganger*
*Round:* 1

*The cherry blossom tumbles through the cemetery; guards against the quickening of the iron!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 19, 2002)

The lotus blossom prances over the tundra; avoids the push of the rodent!

As expected, both combatants chose styles similar to each other. Drax tries to leap over his adversary and see how skillful he is.


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## Wicht (Jun 19, 2002)

Drax leaps high and the doppleganger rolls low.

The voice speaks, "Neither move is that effective, but the defender uses the terrain a bit better."

A flag unfurls over the dopplegangers side of the arena.

*Drax's Doppleganger*
*Round:* 2

*The east wind punches below the canyon; fends off the quickening of the farm!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 19, 2002)

The scythe dodges from the island; dodges the efforts of the star!

Drax takes on the offensive scythe style and... leaps away from the doppleganger and takes on total defense.


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## Wicht (Jun 20, 2002)

The voice speaks, "Point to the defender."

Another flag unfurls over the dopplegangers side of the arena.  There is only one neutral flag left.

*Drax's Doppleganger*
*Round:* 3

*The mace drops on top of the paradise; parries the kick of the cave!*


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## Dalamar (Jun 20, 2002)

The nunchaku glides close to the city; removes the stab of the lash!

Getting a little worried of his own succeeding, Drax glides in on towards the doppleganger and jabs it in the face.


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## Wicht (Jun 20, 2002)

As Drax glides in to strike his double, the double strikes him on the head.

"Point to the defender," says the voice behind Drax.  A third flag unfurls in the dopplegangers side of the arena and the fight is over.  With a grin, the doppleganger melts back intot he sand of the floor.  Drax turns and sees, the weapons he laid on the arena floor also being sucked down.  And then they too are gone.

The torches go out and Drax is alone in a crumbling fighting arena.


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## Dalamar (Jun 20, 2002)

"It seems I'm pretty lousy fighter for being beaten even by myself."
Drax goes to gather what eguipment he has left and dons his armor.
"Maybe I am too dependant on eguipment... I'll need to study this."
With such thoughts in his mind, Drax sets forth to follow the path he was on before entering the arena.
"I should be glad I didn't take a death match."


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## Wicht (Jun 21, 2002)

Drax walks out of the arena and heads north towards the cavern mouth.  Within the cavern all is dark and silent.  Drax will need a light of some sort.


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## Dalamar (Jun 21, 2002)

Am I correct in assuming that I can have whatever common eguipment I need? In this case, torches.


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## Wicht (Jun 21, 2002)

Actually, if it fits your character, yes, though you are the first to pick up on that


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## Dalamar (Jun 21, 2002)

Seeing that he can't see without light, Drax lights one of his torches. When it catches the flame, he enters the cavern.


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## Wicht (Jun 23, 2002)

The smell of burnt flesh hangs over everything in the cave.  Descending a broad set of stairs, Drax enters into a large room with a sandy floor.  There are three tunnels leading out of this room, one to the west, one to the east and one straight ahead to the north.  There are burnt goblin corpses, long since cold lying in the middle of the floor.  

All is very silent.


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## Dalamar (Jun 23, 2002)

"Well... I'm right handed..."
Drax heads to the eastern tunnel, at the same time wondering what has burnt the goblins.


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## Wicht (Jun 24, 2002)

The right hand tunnel goes straight for about fifteen feet and then opens up into a nearly square chamber.  The chamber is empty but there is another passage to the north which leads straight into another east bound passage.


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## Dalamar (Jun 24, 2002)

_Too silent... Too empty... I want to whack something._
Drax sneaks ahead, going for the next tunnel.


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## Wicht (Jun 24, 2002)

The tunnel opens into a circular room, domianted by a stalagmite in the middle.  A single torch sconce on the stalagmite holds an unlit torch.

There are rotting goblin bodies against the east wall of the room.

There is a narrow tunnel leading north out of the room.  

Everything is still pretty quiet.


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## Dalamar (Jun 24, 2002)

Drax retrieves the unlit torch and puts it safe, one never knows how long he might need to stay here.
He'll then move to the corpses and check to see if he could make out what had killed them.


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## Wicht (Jun 25, 2002)

Pulling the torch out of the sconce causes a panel in the east wall to side open, just behind the goblin corpses.   There are stairs going down a narrow tunnel behind the opening.  

The goblin corpses seemed to have been hacked with swords.


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## Dalamar (Jun 25, 2002)

"Interesting..."
Drax moves to the secret tunnel and hopes the door doesn't close without a torch.


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## Wicht (Jul 1, 2002)

As Drax makes his way to the top of the stairs behind the secret door he hears something scuttling in the darkness below.


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## Dalamar (Jul 2, 2002)

Drax turns around to see what is it that moves behind him. He'll watch for a while, waiting.


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## Wicht (Jul 2, 2002)

something moved below - i.e. in the room at the bottom of the secret stairs 

There is nothing behind Drax, but something is very certainly moving about at the end of the stairs atop which Drax is standing.  

Drax notices that there are thick cobwebs not too far down the stairs and that near the floor, one of these cobwebs seems to be holding the dried corpse of a rat.


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## Dalamar (Jul 2, 2002)

Near the floor? Not on the floor?
_Eww... Don't want to meet the thing that did that._
Seeing that there's a spider big enough to catch a rat, Drax lights the cobwebs he can reach and then will move away from the secret tunnel (unless stopped, of course )


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## Wicht (Jul 2, 2002)

As Drax lights the webs on fire, the flickering flames illuminate a very large spider sitting in the shadows.  It does not stir as Drax backs quickly up to the top of the stairs.


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## Dalamar (Jul 2, 2002)

_Me and my big mou.. mind. Should've shut up._
Drax tries to see where he is. Hopefully the top of the stairs features an exit.


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## Wicht (Jul 3, 2002)

The top of the stairs leads out into the room with the large stalagmite.  A secret door in that room leads to the stairs going down.  Drax is currently on the stairs, albeit at the top, near the room with the stalagmite, looking down into a secret room.

Drax enters again the room with the large stalagmite.  As the light pulls back from the secret stairs, Drax again hears the spider in the room at the bottom of the stairs move.


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## Dalamar (Jul 3, 2002)

"Don't like light, eh? Stay there then."
Drax moves to study the stalagmite after he makes sure there's nobody hiding in the room.


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## Wicht (Jul 3, 2002)

Other than the now empty torch sconce, there is nothing remarkable about the stalagmite other than its size.


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## Dalamar (Jul 3, 2002)

"Bah!"
Done with the stalagmite, Drax eyes the room for hidden secrets and other stuff.


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## Wicht (Jul 3, 2002)

There is the tunnel to the east that Drax first entered the room through.  There is a secret (now not so secret) stair leading down to the west.  There is a tunnel to the north.  There are goblin bodies (already examined by Drax) lying on the floor in front of the stairs.  And there is a huge stalagmite in the middle of the room.  Other than that Drax sees nothing.

Down the stairs Drax still hears the movement of the spider.


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## Dalamar (Jul 3, 2002)

"Nothing... no reason to stay here."
Drax starts tracing his steps back along the eastern tunnel


----------



## Wicht (Jul 3, 2002)

oops - got east west mixed up in the last post.  In my defense its way too hot here and my brain is slightly fried today 

Drax walks back _west_, passing first through one room and then entering the main entrance to the cavern.  

The spacious room has exits in all the cardinal directions, the one to the south is the exit out.  The one going east is the one Drax just came out of.  

Through the northern tunnel, Drax thinks he sees a flash of fire-light in the distance and then it is gone.


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 4, 2002)

"Who's there!?"
Drax starts moving along the north tunnel, slowly at first but will move faster if there's no reply.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 5, 2002)

There is no reply and Drax races North.

He passes through a large room, scarcely noticing it for ahead he sees a flash of the flame again.  

But as he runs out of the room and continues north, a large rat leaps from his left out of a side tunnel and attacks him.

As Drax tries to fight it off, he realizes with horror that the beast has maggots crawling in its eye sockets and that its fur is rotting and dropping off in patches.

*Zombie Rat*
*CR:* 2
*Hits:* 3
*Powers:* Undead, Expert of the Rat

*Round:* 1

_The rat attacks:_ *The northstar appears across the dungeon; fends off the descent of the tree!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 5, 2002)

The crane drops with the temple; parries the storm of the river!

"Crap!"
Drax bends his knees to be on equal level with the rotting rat and then tries a sweeping kick at it.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 6, 2002)

The rat gains the element of suprise and manages to wound Drax for *1 hit*.

*Zombie Rat*
*Round:* 1
*Hits Remaining:* 3

_The rat attacks:_ *The willow prances underneath the wastelands; dodges the thrust of the wind!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 7, 2002)

The claw sings across the vineyard; protects against the foray of the flower!

Drawing his sword, Drax tries to wound the attacking foul creature.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 7, 2002)

Drax delivers a blow doing *1 hit*.

*Zombie Rat*
*Round:* 3
*Hits Remaining:* 2

_The rat attacks:_ *The shadowy fang scourges the village; protects against the terror of the bird as it slides from the beauty of the maze!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 8, 2002)

The southern cross rends the grotto; negates the slash of the grave!

Drax strikes the attacking thing with the crossguard of his sword, trying to stop its attacks.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 9, 2002)

Drax's defense is barely enough. 

*Zombie Rat*
*Round:* 4
*Hits Remaining:* 1

_The rat attacks:_ *The claw flips through the swamp; negates the roar of the wood!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 9, 2002)

The chain quells the atoll; shields against the speed of the star!

Drax tries to retry his succesful attack, hoping that the beast doesn't learn from its mistakes.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 9, 2002)

Drax fells the zombie rat and _gains 1/2 an experience point._

The flame still flickers to the north, easier to see now, but still in the distance down the northern tunnel.


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 9, 2002)

_Dang, now that flame is getting away because of some stupid, dead rat! Maybe it was the cousin of the one I saw in the spider's web..._
Drax gets up and seathes sword as he runs after the flame again.
"Stop! Who are you!"


----------



## Wicht (Jul 10, 2002)

Drax continues to run north.  

He passes by a passage on his right.  Then a set of doors (one across from the other.  Another twenty five feet of tunnel and Drax burst into a large cavernous room.  

The fire is in this room. 

There is a goblin on fire.  His skin is melting and his hair crackles.  It is hard to tell if he is dead or alive.  Drax notices out of the corner of his eye a pile of charred goblin bodies lying in a corner.  The goblin on fire is not lying down, he is walking around the room, flames licking every part of his body.  At the moment his back is to Drax and he is on the other side of the room.  But even as Drax stares, the fiery goblin begins to turn.


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 10, 2002)

"Holy sh..."
Drax backs away from the burning goblin in fear.
_That's... That's horrible! Even the goblins don't deserve something like that!_
The torch he is carrying drops from his hand, clattering on the floor and then goes out.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 10, 2002)

As soon as the flame filled eyes alight on Drax, the fiery goblin howls and charges forward, heat rolling away from the figure.

*Fire Goblin
CR:* 5
*Hits:* 6
*Powers:*
Undead
Master of Hell
Master of the Volcano

*Round:* 1
*Hits Remaining:* 6

_The fire goblin attacks:_ *The manticore ravages the city; scatters the offensive of the bone!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 10, 2002)

The crane severs the forest; protects against the chaos of the farm!

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap..."
Drax draws his swords in one smooth motion and tries a stab at the burning monster.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 11, 2002)

Drax barely manages to fend off a fiery series of blows but as he does so he slashes the creature.

*Fire Goblin
Round:* 1
*Hits Remaining:* 5

_The fire goblin attacks:_ *The trident flips atop the ocean and menacingly slashes the fortification; guards against the punch of the wood!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 11, 2002)

The lotus blossom drifts in the midst of the volcano; protects against the tempest of the abomination!

Drax tries to keep the burning carcass away from him, but isn't doing well with it.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 11, 2002)

Drax takes *1 hit* as he blunders straight into the goblins unholy fire.

*Fire Goblin
Round:* 3
*Hits Remaining:* 5

_The fire goblin attacks:_ *The The lotus blossom slashes the glade; waves away the chaos of the mountain and secretly parries the energy of the barrens!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 12, 2002)

The kama invades the rapids; shields against the roar of the star!

Drax tries to stay away from the searing flames and in the same time still make some damage to the goblin.

*Hits:* 5/6


----------



## Wicht (Jul 12, 2002)

Drax takes another *1 hit* as he fails to avoid the unholy fire.

*Fire Goblin
Round:* 4
*Hits Remaining:* 5

_The fire goblin attacks:_ *The tsunami swims on top of the ricefield; parts the efforts of the isle!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 12, 2002)

The turtle drops near the swamp; guards against the violence of the blade!

Drax takes on total defense, whirling his blades infront of himself and crouching lower to have less area to protect.

*Hits:* 4/6


----------



## Wicht (Jul 13, 2002)

Stopping and dropping is a good technique against fire.  As the goblin attacks high, Drax goes low and sees an opening for a quick attack.

*Fire Goblin
Round:* 5
*Hits Remaining:* 4

_The fire goblin attacks:_ *The dragon dodges in the midst of the peaks; parries the rising of the blade!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 13, 2002)

The weasel falls in the midst of the cliff; absorbs the terror of the bird!

Staying down, Drax tries to endure the heat emanating from the goblin as he tries another stab at it.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 13, 2002)

Drax's move is even weaker then the goblins and he takes *1 hit*.

*Fire Goblin
Round:* 6
*Hits Remaining:* 4

_The fire goblin attacks:_ *The blizzard bows in the midst of the dungeon; parts the onslaught of the elements!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 14, 2002)

The panther falls before the desert and speaks underneath the Desert of Gems; shields the quickening of the spring!
*FoF:*The unicorn slashes upon the sea; shields the speed of the ledge!

Drax crouches even lower and then jumps straight at the burning humanoid with his sword extended in front of himself.

*Hits:* 3/6


----------



## Wicht (Jul 15, 2002)

Though his move is unorthodox and likely would not have worked against a better fighter, it still proves effective enough against the undead goblin.

*Fire Goblin
Round:* 7
*Hits Remaining:* 2

_The fire goblin attacks:_ *The spider slides before the dungeon; negates the thrust of the isle!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 16, 2002)

The snake drops within the dungeon; negates the rising of the flower! *yen*

Drax slithers between the burning corpse's legs, and then strikes it from behind.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 16, 2002)

The goblin manages to catch Drax with a minor kick.  It still does *1 hit*.

*Fire Goblin
Round:* 8
*Hits Remaining:* 2

_The fire goblin attacks:_ *The lightning charges the prairie; fends off the slash of the club!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 16, 2002)

The chimera scourges the village; reduces the beauty of the tree!

Drax tries a quick slash at the goblin's face.

*Hits:* 2/6


----------



## Wicht (Jul 16, 2002)

Drax scores a palpable hit

*Fire Goblin
Round:* 9
*Hits Remaining:* 1

_The fire goblin attacks:_ *The northstar kicks the waterfall; averts the speed of the river! *yen**


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 16, 2002)

The tsunami obliterates the badlands; defends against the motion of the iron!

Drax tries to pour over the burning undead, unleashing strikes after strikes from his sword.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 17, 2002)

Drax smashes the goblin to the ground and its fire goes out.  It is now simply a rotting corpse.

_Drax recieves 1.5 experience points from the fight and can now level_

There are piles of burnt goblin bodies on the floor in this spacious room.  Drax entered from the south, there is another tunnel going north.  All is silent again.


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 17, 2002)

Drax searches for the torch he dropped and then lights it again. He then goes back along the southern tunnel he rushed through to see if there's anything special left in there.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 17, 2002)

This level of the dungeon seems to be fairly empty.  However, as Drax walks south from the room in which he fought the fire goblin, he passes two doors set into the tunnel, one on his left and one on his right.


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 17, 2002)

Drax picks the door on the eastern side of the hall. He opens the door, keeping his ears and eyes open for more hostile creatures.
_The first level of the tomb was supposed to be filled with goblins, not dead goblins... I wonder who has been here before me?_


----------



## Wicht (Jul 18, 2002)

The door on the east side of the tunnel opens to reveal a room.  There are no other exits from the room and in the northern half of the room are a pile of burnt goblin bodies.
.
.
.
Speaking strictly metagame wise (don't want you to get too frustrated with mostly empty rooms)- Kalath, Sharlea, and a few others have been through the first level pretty good (twice).  The first time they killed most or all of the goblins, the second time they killed all the goblin zombies.  Most of the action therefore is currently on the second level - if you can find it.


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 18, 2002)

_Empty? Now I really start to believe somebody has been here before me._
Drax closes the door and goes to the second one.

Can Drax run into any of the others in the tomb? It would propably be prety funny when you spoke in one's thread as if the other was an NPC.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 19, 2002)

If any of you were in roughly the same area i have thought about doing that - but so far no one has crossed paths.

The other door opens onto another cavern room.  This one however is filled with piles of useless junk.  It looks like a storage closet of some sort and Drax is pretty sure he sees a mop and a broom in one corner.

There is a tunnel heading out of here to the south.

As Drax looks around, he suddenly hears movement in the northwest corner of the room.  Something back there just moved.


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 20, 2002)

Drax raises his torch higher and moves closer to see what's moving back there.
_Maybe it's another of those dead rats... or maybe not._


----------



## Wicht (Jul 24, 2002)

As Drax moves back intot he room to find the source of the noise, his intuition is proven correct when a rotting rat leaps out of the darkness to attack

*Zombie Rat*
*CR:* 2
*Hits:* 3
*Powers:* Undead, Expert of the Rat

*Round:* 1
*Hits Remaining:* 3

*Zombie Rat attacks:* _The tiger overwhelms the clearing; beautifully wards off the thrust of the bird!_


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 24, 2002)

The snake slides by the beach; shreds the beauty of the flower!

_Should've guessed. I should've already learned not to summon trouble to me when it seems to find me without help._
Drax, seeing the rat leap out of the shadows, lowers down and, almost literally, slithers under the leaping undead and tries to hit it with his torch.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 25, 2002)

The rat bites Drax for *1 hit* and then tries to climb his head and scratch his eyes out

*Zombie Rat*
*Round:* 2
*Hits Remaining:* 3

*Zombie Rat attacks:* _The foot tracks atop the atoll; protects against the violence of the stone!_


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 26, 2002)

The foot glides with the paradise; averts the speed of the field!

Drax slides down to kick the rat.

*Hits:* 6/7


----------



## Wicht (Jul 27, 2002)

Kalath kicks the rat, knocking it back.  But apparently its undead brains do not realize it is outclassed.  It leaps again.

*Zombie Rat*
*Round:* 3
*Hits Remaining:* 2

*Zombie Rat attacks:* _The fang leaps over the village; shields against the tempest of the holy ground!_


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 27, 2002)

The claw vigorously slashes the peaks; leaps over the terror of the lash!
*FoF:*The crane shatters the cavern; quells the push of the mire!

As the rat leaps at him, Drax's adrenaling jumps in. He feels as if everything is moving in slow motion, except himself. He raises his swords infront of himself and tries a double strike at the leaping rat.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 27, 2002)

The rat falls to the ground unmoving after Drax's furious attack.  _Drax gains 1/2 an experience point._  Searching the area from which the rat emerged, Drax discovers a hole in the north part of the room, behind some crates.  It is about two feet or so in diameter, just big enough for a single person to crawl through.


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 28, 2002)

"Well what have we here?"
Drax seathes his swords and crouches to the hole. He tries to see if the tunnel leads to the second floor or just to a hidden room behind the wall.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 29, 2002)

The tunnel stretches out further than Drax can see in the dim light.  It seems to go neither up nor down but merely forward.  

Faintly the smell of decay lingers around the tunnel.


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 29, 2002)

"Blech!"
Drax starts creeping into the tunnel, quite curious to see where it leads. He tries to stay as alert as possible as there is no guarantee that the smell of death comes from the dead rat.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 30, 2002)

Drax follows the tunnel for about twenty feet before it branches, with one tunnel going to his left and another to his right.


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 30, 2002)

"Eny, meny, miny, mo..." (Or how is that written?)
Drax turns to the left tunnel.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 31, 2002)

The tunnel goes for about fifteen feet before opening up into a small round earthen room.  There are other tunnels leading out of it, one to the south, and one to the east across from Drax.  What occupies Drax's attention at the moment however are the two zombified giant rats that rush at him as soon as he enters the room.

*Zombie Rats*
*Round:* 1
*Hits Remaining:* 3 / 3

_Rat 1 attacks:_ *The staff slides below the castle; avoids the energy of the shell!*

_Rat 2 attacks:_ *The crab rends the cavern; shields the aggression of the maze!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 31, 2002)

*At Rat 1:*The fox torments the plain; protects against the energy of the garden!
*At Rat 2:* Shove

"Crap!"
Drax grabs his words and sweeps the other rat out of the way as he takes it face-on with the first one.


----------



## Wicht (Jul 31, 2002)

As the second rat flies back, Drax manages to score a light hit on the first.  In mere moments though, both are back for the attack.

*Zombie Rats*
*Round:* 2
*Hits Remaining:* 2 / 3

_Rat 1 attacks:_ *The trident drops near the fountain; defends against the storm of the bone!*

_Rat 2 attacks:_ *The claw assails the glacier; scatters the descent of the shell!*


----------



## Dalamar (Jul 31, 2002)

*At Rat 1:*The mace shouts from the pillars; dominates the energy of the wood!

"Don't they ever give up?"
Drax smashed at the rat with the pommel of his sword.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 1, 2002)

Drax scores another hit on the first undead rat but the other claws him for *1 hit*.

*Zombie Rats*
*Round:* 3
*Hits Remaining:* 1 / 3

_Rat 1 attacks:_ *The cherry blossom silences the forest; protects against the touch of the stone!*

_Rat 2 attacks:_ *The spider drops atop the paradise; blocks the chaos of the mountain!*


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 2, 2002)

*At Rat 1:*The staff thrusts the tundra; dodges the rising of the wood!

Seeing that he's still in the giving end of the fight, Drax kicks at the first rat, hoping to finally stop it.

*Hits:* 6/7


----------



## Wicht (Aug 2, 2002)

Drax fells the first undead rat but the other again wounds him for *1 hit*.

*Zombie Rats*
*Round:* 3
*Hits Remaining:* - / 3

_Rat 2 attacks:_ *The fox thrusts the dungeon; shreds the energy of the fires!*


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 2, 2002)

The trident eliminates the grotto; shields against the descent of the blade!
*FoF:*The grasshopper bashes the canyon; protects against the descent of the star!

Getting very annoyed by the second rat, Drax thrusts his both swords at the creature.

*Hits:* 5/7


----------



## Wicht (Aug 5, 2002)

The rat is badly wounded but with the tenacity of the undead it keeps attacking.

*Zombie Rats*
*Round:* 4
*Hits Remaining:* - / 1

_Rat 2 attacks:_ *The scorpion kicks the canyon; shields against the beauty of the rodent!*


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 5, 2002)

The mace devastates the beach; grasps the foray of the rodent!

Already getting bored of fighting these undead vermin, Drax lazily kicks the rat.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 6, 2002)

Drax easily dispatches the undead rat and _earns another 1/2 an experience point.

Listening down the two tunnels out of the room, Drax hears movement from the tunnel going west out of the room, but nothing from the tunnel going to the south. From the westward tunnel it sounds faintly like someone is mumbling._


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 6, 2002)

Drax raises an eyebrow.
_And I thought these tunnels were empty. Now there are atleast two different sources of noise._
He looks at each tunnel for a while and then chooses the one leading to west, trying to sneak on the mumbler.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 7, 2002)

As Drax moves down the tunnel, the noise becomes more distinct.  It is a man talking, but the words seem to make little sense and the voice sounds as if someone had made a hole in the man's throat.

_"Garbage, take out the garbage, and there is a skull sitting atop the dirt with the rats dancing around.  Visitors never come to take out their garbage.  We hear them.  Crawling like rats to take out the garbage.  There's a good girl..."_


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 7, 2002)

_Some poor man seems to have gone crazy wandering around these tunnels. But crazy doesn't mean harmless._
Drax keeps sneaking towards the talker and tries to hear if there are any other people there.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 8, 2002)

Creeping to the edge of the tunnel, Drax sees into another earthen chamber.  He can see a crude seat/throne to his left, though he cannot see who is sitting on it.  There are several zombie rats sitting in front of the throne watching the incoherent speaker raptly.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 8, 2002)

_A rat king, eh? Bad luck on you pal._
Drax steps to the room and looks at the person sitting on the throne. He does not act hostile just yet.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 8, 2002)

There are four zombie rats sitting in front of the throne and as kalath crawls out from the tunnel they turn and stare at him, but they make no hostile move as of yet.

Drax looks at the man on the throne and sees that his flesh is rotting and in places his bones are showing.  He is obviously dead.  However he continues to prattle on in that strange voice of his.  Looking, Drax sees that indeed, his throat is torn open.

The strange undead man turns his eyes towards Drax.

_"A visitor comes to take out the garbage.  I remember my last visitor.  Look what he did to me!  The rats take out the garbage for me.  Shall they show you?"_


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 8, 2002)

Drax looks at the man in faked shock.
"Who did that to you? Such must've been an evil man."


----------



## Wicht (Aug 9, 2002)

"The Lord Wicht sent the rat and Kalath took out the garbage.  Always a rat.  Are you a rat?"

The zombie rats start advancing threateningly against Drax.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 9, 2002)

"No, I am not a rat. I'm a man, like you are."
Drax stays put, but rests his hands to the hilts of his swords.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 10, 2002)

"I am not a man, I am a rat.  I take out the garbage.  Like a rat.  Only rats come down here!"

The four rats move a step closer.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 10, 2002)

"I believe you. Who is this Kalath you spoke of? I don't think I've heard of him or her."
As he speaks, Drax starts going through his memories. Wasn't Kalath the name of one of his companions on his first mission? The arrogant one.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 13, 2002)

"_Kalath was a rat!_" hissed the man.

The four zombie rats attack.

*Zombie Rats*
*Round:* 1
*Hits Remaining:*  3 / 3 / 3 / 3

_Rat 1 attacks:_ *The willow decimates the tundra; conceals the beauty of the bird!*

_Rat 2 attacks:_ *The unicorn vanquishes the cemetery; quells the touch of the pole!*

_Rat 3 attacks:_ *The fist annihilates the marsh; parries the energy of the lash!*

_Rat 4 attacks:_ *The hammer rides across the well; shields the efforts of the fires!*


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 13, 2002)

*At Rat 4:*The lotus blossom strikes upon the waterfall; avoids the gaze of the shell!

Seeing that he has nothing to say to the rats, Drax tries to keep them away from himself.
"Was, you say... what happened?


----------



## Wicht (Aug 14, 2002)

Drax takes *3 hits* from 3 rats, though he does manage to strike out at one of them.

"_A rat working for Wicht,_" hisses the man, seemingly to himself, "_All us rats work for Wicht.  We take out the garbage._"

*Zombie Rats*
*Round:* 2
*Hits Remaining:*  3 / 3 / 3 / 2

_Rat 1 attacks:_ *The lotus blossom vanquishes the tower; dodges the aggression of the elements!*

_Rat 2 attacks:_ *The west wind drifts close to the orchard; avoids the speed of the field!*

_Rat 3 attacks:_ *The staff quells the glacier; conceals the energy of the elements!*

_Rat 4 attacks:_ *The grasshopper parts the tower; protects against the quickening of the wood!*


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 14, 2002)

*At Rat 4:*The panther prances close to the ravine; scatters the assailment of the grave!
*At Rat 1:*Shove

"I could help you with the garbage, you know."
Drax pats one of the rats away and attack another.

*Hits:* 4/7


----------



## Wicht (Aug 15, 2002)

Drax takes *1 hits* from 1 of the rats.

"Help with the garbage?"

*Zombie Rats*
*Round:* 3
*Hits Remaining:*  3 / 3 / 3 / 1

_Rat 1 attacks:_ *The dragon thrusts the peaks; avoids the assailment of the flame!*

_Rat 2 attacks:_ *The crab smoothly slaughters the orchard; shields against the onslaught of the spring!*

_Rat 3 attacks:_ *The cherry blossom tumbles underneath the waterfall; lies on top of the tempest of the sands!*

_Rat 4 attacks:_ *The panther destroys the city; dodges the onslaught of the storm!*


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 15, 2002)

*At Rat 3:*The crane swims over the temple; conceals the chi of the star!

"Yes, I could help you take out the garbage."
Getting quite desperate with the rats, Drax tries his best not to die.

*Hits:* 3/7


----------



## Wicht (Aug 16, 2002)

"Excellent," croaks the strange man and suddenly the rats back off of Drax.

As if nothig had happened the four strange creatures start rubbing against Drax's leg as if they were cats.  Some of their skin and fur peel away as they rub and sticks to Drax's leg.  

More coherently the man whispers to Drax, "Go to the imp tomb... there is no password, tell the rats below that Painted is the word today and then in the bard's city find the garbage and take him out..."


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 16, 2002)

Drax sheahes his swords and pats one of the rats. 
"Where is this imp tomb?"


----------



## Wicht (Aug 17, 2002)

"In, the cemetery, north west of the gate and just north of the small rats."


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 17, 2002)

"Thanks for the instructions, I'll do just that."
Drax starts heading back to the direction he came from, all the way out of the tomb.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 19, 2002)

Soon Drax finds himself back at the entrance to the cave.  The path still leads towards the hill atop which the cemetery sits.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 19, 2002)

Drax puts out his torch and heads up the path and takes a moment to go at the arena where he lost to himself. If nothing happens, he'll continue up to the cemetary.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 20, 2002)

As Drax enters the arena, a soft voice whispers from behind him, "come back when you have more experience..."

Nothing else happens and so Drax walks up the stairs and once more enters the cemetery.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 20, 2002)

"The guy told that it was north-west from the gate, and since it's hard to walk in air, I should propably head for the southern gate."
Drax starts walking towards the gate he entered the cemetary firts with a steady pace.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 21, 2002)

Drax makes the southern gate in good time and without incident.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 21, 2002)

_Brr. Hope I don't run to another werewolf here._
Drax heads towards north west, as instructed, trying to spot any more of the rats.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 22, 2002)

Northwest from the gate leads over cemetery ground.  As he climbs uphill, Drax can see two crypts above him.  

The closest one, just west of him, to his left, seems to have broken statues in front of it and though he is not sure, he thinks he hears some giggling coming from its vicinity.  

The other one is further north, its back faces to the east and Drax cannot make out much of it at this distance.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 22, 2002)

"No rats here... but who's giggling?"
Drax starts heading for the giggle.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 23, 2002)

As Drax heads towards the crypt from which comes the giggling, he sees a child's face appear over a tombstone.  The face winks and then dissapears again.  Drax sees another one now to his right.  It is an even younger child with an angelic smile.  The young girl watches him.  Despite her charming looks, she appears dirty and malnourished.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 23, 2002)

Drax turns to face the child on his right, making sure to keep an eye in the direction of the first kid.
"Well hello there. What are you doing here?"
He tries to look and act as unthreatening as possible.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 24, 2002)

The child says nothing, but continues to smile sweetly.  Another child, possibly the first one Drax saw, is now standing just behind Drax, looking thin and underfed, but very sweet and innocent in appearance.  Drax would estimate the girl at about four years of age and the boy behind him at about seven.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 24, 2002)

Drax goes, in his mind, through everything that he has and comes to the conclusion that he has really nothing he could offer for these children.
"Are you lost? I could take you to the city and get you something to eat."


----------



## Wicht (Aug 26, 2002)

"Food" says the boy behind Drax, a gleam in his eye, his smile growing bigger.  

"Food" repeats the girl.  She is standing just next to Drax, though he did not hear her move. Her smile too is bigger. The boy reaches up and touches Drax on the arm, his smile becoming just a bit softer and sweeter.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 26, 2002)

"So you can talk. What's you name? The gate's this way."
Drax starts heading towards the gate, seeing if the children are going to follow him.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 26, 2002)

"Food!" screams the girl, and as she does so, Drax gets a good look at her teeth.  They are razor sharp and there are many of them.  

As he stares at the girl, the boy bites him on the leg, drawing blood.  The girl leaps at him and from somewhere unseen, a third child rushes in to attack.

*Wicht's Waifs*
*CR:* 2
*Hits:* 2
*Yen factor:* 1
* Powers:* Dirty Trick, Shove, Chair Shot

_Waif 1 attacks:_ *CHAIR SHOT!*

_Waif 2 attacks:_ *The nunchaku overwhelmingly mangles the wastelands; averts the gaze of the tides as it flies on top of the chi of the elements!*

_Waif 3 attacks:_ *The fang illuminates the sea; shields the speed of the mire!*


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 26, 2002)

*At Waif 3:*The ki-rin nails the ocean; tumbles across the kick of the abomination!
*At Waif 2:* Shove

"What the--"
Drax, quite shocked of the sudden turn of events, draws his swords as he kicks the incoming child. He then continues the kick to trip the girl.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 26, 2002)

Thanks to his quick reactions, Drax takes only *1 hit*.

The girl however, as soon as he kicks her, latches onto his leg and bites hard, taking out a small chunk of flesh.  One of the others tries stomping on Drax's foot while the other makes a quick biting attack at Drax's thigh.

*Wicht's Waifs*
*Hits Remaining:* 2 / 2 / 1
*Round:* 2

_Waif 1 attacks:_ *The lizard tramples the cliff; leaps over the energy of the mountain!*

_Waif 2 attacks:_ *The whip speaks underneath the castle; blocks the onslaught of the river!*

_Waif 3 attacks:_ *CHAIR SHOT!*


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 26, 2002)

*At Waif 1:*The whip moves across the badlands; dominates the storm of the horn!

Getting severely overdriven by these children, Drax tries his best in staying alive.
He slashes at one of the kids even as he tries to get the others out of his legs.

*Hits:* 6/7


----------



## Wicht (Aug 27, 2002)

Drax manages to move out of the way of the one trying to bite him on the thigh but he doesn't connect with the other and in fact ends up taking *2 hits* from both the girl whose teeth are still in him and the crushing of his foot.

The other child now goes to bite Drax, sinking his sharp needle like teeth into the fighter.

*Wicht's Waifs*
*Hits Remaining:* 2 / 2 / 1
*Round:* 3

_Waif 1 attacks:_ *The unicorn sucker punches the city; dominates the onslaught of the tree!*

_Waif 2 attacks:_ *CHAIR SHOT!*

_Waif 3 attacks:_ *The sly snake rends the city; leaps higher than the beauty of the sands!*


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 27, 2002)

*At Waif 3:*The cherry blossom swims atop the labyrinth; grasps the assailment of the reptile!

Not feeling lucky, Drax tries a feeble attack one of the flesh eating children.

*Hits:* 4/7


----------



## Wicht (Aug 28, 2002)

Drax is not lucky as each one of the children manages to scratch or bite him.  He takes *3 hits*.

*Wicht's Waifs*
*Hits Remaining:* 2 / 2 / 1
*Round:* 4

_Waif 1 attacks:_ *The grasshopper lies before the heavens before it easily becomes one with the insect; fends off the descent of the blade!*

_Waif 2 attacks:_ *The dragon kicks the tower; parts the rising of the sickle!*

_Waif 3 attacks:_ *The snake kicks the bluff; defends against the pain of the spring and dexterously quells the assailment of the tree!*


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 28, 2002)

Dirty Trick!

Drax kicks dirt to the overhungry kids and runs away.

*Hits:* 1/7


----------



## Wicht (Aug 29, 2002)

The kids give chase, but Drax keeps the presence of mind to run towards the gate.  

Soon he is out the southern gate.  The waifs do not follow him.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 29, 2002)

"Now that wasn't nice... *huf* I better go to town and have some rest before going back. Too bad that both of my companions left, I could use the help now."


----------



## Wicht (Aug 30, 2002)

Drax rests up.


----------



## Dalamar (Aug 30, 2002)

After resting and recovering from the attack by the strange children, Drax heads back to the cemetary.
He stops when he gets inside and tries to see if anybody or -thing is within sight. If there is none, he'll head back to where he met the kids.


----------



## Wicht (Aug 31, 2002)

It is the morning of the scorpion when Drax arrives at the cemetery again and as he makes his way up the grassy hill to the spot where he encountered the children, he hears and sees nothing.  Perhaps it is the bright sun or perhaps they are elsewhere.

He is standing near a crypt.  There is something written over the door of the crypt but he is too far away to make it out clearly.  There is a path that runs north from this crypt and not to far up it, there is another crypt on the east side of the path.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 1, 2002)

Drax goes over to see what is written on the door.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 1, 2002)

Broken statues of women lie at either side of the door.  Above the slightly open door of the crypt,the following words are carved, "No Mercy for the Children."

From within the crypt, Drax hears movement and perhaps a soft giggle.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 1, 2002)

_That might mean the kids that attacked me. No mercy indeed..._
Drax decides to back off from this crypt and heads for the other that is more to the north.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 3, 2002)

The crypt a little to the north is a plain, unmarked crypt.  As Drax gets closer though, he hears some sort of shrill laughter coming from inside.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 3, 2002)

_That sounds like one of the kids, and I'm not ready to meet one just yet._
Drax continues north along the path.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 3, 2002)

As Drax begins to head further up the path, he notices some graffiti on the door of the tomb.  The weather has made it harder to read, but it says, "Beware the Imps!"

There are voices as well that can be heard through the door, but they are harder to make out.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 4, 2002)

_Imps, eh. Maybe I could try to take on a few of them. They couldn't be worse than a werewolf._
Drax tries to open the door as silently as possible.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 5, 2002)

The door seems locked from the inside.

As Drax fiddles with it, he hears a shrill voice inside say, "Hey someones here."

"What's the password?" hollers another high pitched, squeacky voice.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 5, 2002)

_Ah! This is the tomb the 'rat king' was talking about._
"I was told that there is no password."


----------



## Wicht (Sep 5, 2002)

There is some grumbling, but the door opens.  

"That was no fun," says one of the imps.  

Drax sees about five imps in the room beyond.  There is a door on the other side of the room.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 5, 2002)

"Maybe some other time."
Drax moves past the imps and heads to the door.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 6, 2002)

The door leads to another room containing three coffins side by side, standing on end.  A single torch burns on the wall.

The door shuts behind Drax and the Imps giggle, "Have fun!"


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 6, 2002)

_This worked once, why not another time?_
Drax goes to the torch and takes it down, hoping for another secret passage.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 6, 2002)

A panel in the floor in front of the middle coffin slides open, revealing stairs going down.  

There is some grumbling to be heard through the door.  Evidently the imps were hoping for something else to happen.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 6, 2002)

_Heh, it seems like a bad day for the imps. Maybe I should go and ask if they'd like a mock fight... then again, maybe not._
Drax goes down the stairs, carrying the torch.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 6, 2002)

The stairs spiral down and then even further down.
As Drax continues to go down, he hears footsteps and voices coming up the stairs towards him.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 6, 2002)

Drax looks around to see if there any place to hide.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 7, 2002)

The stairwell is a solid stone tunnel carved out of rock.  The walls are smooth and there are no places to hide.

The voices and footsteps draw closer.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 7, 2002)

Seeing that there are no places to hide, Drax decides to play it cool and starts descanding the stair like he belonged there.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 7, 2002)

As Drax descends the stairs, he soon sees the ones coming up.  There are three of them, a brutish fellow in the lead and two thinner men. One of the thin men carries a torch.

"Heya Runt," says the large man when he sees Drax.

Then with a wink to his companions, he says to Drax, "Something new on the stairs, people going down have to pay 2 yen to people going up the stairs."


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 7, 2002)

Drax takes an amused look on his face.
"Do you really think I'm _that_ naive?"


----------



## Wicht (Sep 7, 2002)

"Nah," says the big guy with a grin, "You just look that puny."


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 8, 2002)

"Indeed. That's propably what the werewolf that I killed thought too."


----------



## Wicht (Sep 8, 2002)

The other guy looks uncertain for a moment and then smiles.  

"Just kidding with you, c'mon guys."

The three men continue up, past Drax and soon out of sight.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 8, 2002)

After the men are gone, Drax takes a deep breath to calm himself. He then starts heading down the stairs again.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 8, 2002)

After going fruther down for some ways, Drax eventually comes to a door.  There is no latch on it, it would appear to be openable only from the other side.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 8, 2002)

Drax looks at the door for a while and then finally decides to knock.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 8, 2002)

A panel near the top of the door slides open and a pair of very large eyes looks out at Drax.

"Yeah," says a deep voice, "Who is it?"


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 8, 2002)

_So this must be the 'rat' that the guy was talking about. Hope so..._
"Painted is the word today."


----------



## Wicht (Sep 8, 2002)

"Painted isn't the word today," complains the other upset, "That was the word a couple days ago.  Today's word is Lizard Lips.  Sorry, can't let you in without the right password."


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 9, 2002)

"Okay: lizard's lips"


----------



## Wicht (Sep 9, 2002)

"Oh, so you do know it, ok, c'mon in."

The door opens and beyond, Drax sees a giant, nearly twice as tall as he, holding the door open and smiling rather stupidly.  The room beyond looks fairly small and there is another door on the other side.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 9, 2002)

Drax smiles back at the giant as he steps to the room and goes to open the other door.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 9, 2002)

The other door leads into a much larger room, also of stone.  It is roughly circular in shape.  Across the room is another door, this one fairly big.

Sitting at a table, eating are two more giants.  They scarcely give Drax a second glance.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 9, 2002)

_How come here are so many giants? There's more people in this tomb than I saw in the Tomb of Wicht._
Drax moves to the next door and nods slightly at the giants as he passes them.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 9, 2002)

Drax exits the other door and finds himself in the middle of a street.  Looking behind him, he sees he just stepped out of a tall pillar that stretches high overhead to a cavernous roof of vast proportions.  There are buildings lining the street, wall to wall, and people of all varieties are walking up and down it, talking, shouting and pushing.  There are orcs, goblins, humans, trolls, an occassional giant and others.  Several 'beings' are in robes of various colors, deep hoods hiding their faces.

A gentleman brushes by Drax and enters the pillar.  

Taking it all in, Drax sees three other pillars in the distance, all at the corners of a vast invisible square, reaching to the ceiling.  In the middle of the pillars a light of some sort shines brightly, illuminating the whole scene.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 10, 2002)

_A city? The 'rat king' told me to come here and 'take out the garbage'. I just forgot to ask what or who is the garbage._
Drax raises his shoulders.
_No point worrying about that now. I might just as well take a look around._

Drax starts walking around, looking for all places that might be of interest: bars, shops, anything.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 10, 2002)

Drax sees several bars, shops, and houses.  There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to where anything is placed.  Next to the pillar on either side is a house.  Across the street is a tavern, next to a shop selling meat, next to a shop selling armor and weapons.  Clearly, whatever Drax had the money for, he could find here.

All the buildings are crowded next to each other, no space between them.  The street runs to the left and right.  Down the street to the right, at some distance, the street seems to end at an impressive looking house.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 10, 2002)

Drax heads for the tavern.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 10, 2002)

There is a figure in a red robe standing outside the door of the tavern.  As Drax approaches the Tavern, the other stops him with a hand that is swathed completly in cloth.

"Can you sssing?" asks the figure in a raspy, hissing voice.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 11, 2002)

"Wha...? No, not really. Can you?"


----------



## Wicht (Sep 16, 2002)

The other hisses at Drax, but allows him to pass, accosting instead the next person with the same question.

Inside the bar is a rowdy collection of what appear to be cut-throats.  As Drax enters he sees a fight in the back of the room, and another over to the side.  Nobody seems to be paying much attention to these.  

As in the street, the people seem to be an odd mix of races.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 16, 2002)

Drax goes to the barkeep and tries to start chatting.
"So, what's the current news?"


----------



## Wicht (Sep 17, 2002)

The barkeep gives Drax a funny look, almost as if to say, 'do I know you.'

However he replies, "The big news is that there's some sorta commotion going on at the castle.  Someone escaped or something.  The guards are everywhere asking funny questions."

That done, he goes elsewhere to fill an order.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 17, 2002)

_An escapee? Now that might be interesting to find out._
Drax goes out and tries to find his way to the castle.
I'll be off until next tuesday. See you then.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 18, 2002)

Looking for the castle, Drax wanders out of the bar and to his right.  He comes to an intersection.  Looking to his left he thinks he can make out the turrets of what might be a castle in the distance, but there is a building far at the end of the street blocking a better view.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 24, 2002)

Drax takes a quick look to his right and, unless he sees something that looks more of the castle than the turret to his left, takes the path on his left to see if it is the castle he sees.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 25, 2002)

As Drax heads down the street to get a better view of the turrets, he again notices the figures in the red hooded robes.  Something about the way they walk makes him uneasy.  At the end of the street is a large house.  A newly painted sign over the front door says, "The Fraternal Order of Tutul."  Drax notices most people walking this way are passing on the right side of the house and so does the same.  

He enters a path which circles an underground lake.  There is an island in the middle of the lake.  To his left the path goes by some houses and heads towards what is now obviously a subterranean castle.  The path to his right circles the lake towards a group of houses.  Most of the pedestrians are taking the right path.  Very few are going towards the castle.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 25, 2002)

Drax looks around to try and see if there is something that forbids going to the castle area. Unless he sees something, he'll then head to the castle.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 25, 2002)

There appear to be several of the red-robed 'people' standing in various places, but nothing actually to stop a person.

Therefore Drax heads towards the castle.  He passes along the shores of the underground lake, passing three good sized houses on the left.  Finally coming to the end of the lake, the cobblestone path comes ends and Drax enters a plaza .  In the middle of the plaza is a large fountain.  There are three large manor houses on the right side of the Plaza and two large manor houses on the left side.  The houses on the right side are surrounded by large wrought iron fences.

The castle is on the far end of the plaza.  There are two large double doors into the castle.  Between the castle and the fountain are numerous of sentries standing at attention.  All wear the hooded red robes and Drax can see the faces of none of them.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 26, 2002)

Drax approaches the closest of the sentries. He stops a good distance away.
"Excuse me, but I heard you've had some trouble at the castle. I'm offering my skills as a swordman to help you with the trouble."


----------



## Wicht (Sep 26, 2002)

Though he can not see the face of the sentry, Drax can tell it is confused.

"You wantss to help?" comes the question finally in a perplexed manner.  The sentry turns its head left and right.  

Drax notices other sentries moving closer.

"Why do you wantss to help?" another of the sentries asks suspiciously.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 26, 2002)

"For money, what else? I'll help you with your problem, you'll help me fill my purse."


----------



## Wicht (Sep 26, 2002)

The red hoods nod in understanding and then one of them says, "He sshould talk to the Bard."

"Follow Me," comes the next hissing statement and as the Red Robed sentry leads Drax towards the castle, the question is asked, "Can you ssing?"


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 27, 2002)

Drax raises an eye brow at the question.
"I haven't tried. Why?"


----------



## Wicht (Sep 27, 2002)

"Ssinging iss not allowed!" is the reply.

Drax is led into the castle and down a corridor to the right.  Then through a door on the right and through a corridor to the right.  A door at the end is opened and Drax is led through a room and then through a door on the left and down a corridor to the left and then through a door on the left.  The rooms and corridors are all of white and completely featureless.  After several more twists and turns and through several more corridors, rooms and doors, Drax is finally led into a room with a single bench of white stone in the middle.  He is instructed to sit there and wait.


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 28, 2002)

Drax sits down on the bench and lowers his backpack to the floor. He then starts waiting, keeping his demeanor calm.


----------



## Wicht (Sep 30, 2002)

After a long wait, one of the red robed sentries returns and with a hissed, "Follow me!" he leads Drax through another series of counfusing turns, doors and corridors. Drax is not sure but they might be walking in circles.  But the lack of features on the walls makes it impossible to tell.  Finally, they enter through a large set of double doors into a massive throne room.  Two lines of courtiers form a pathway to the throne.  As Drax observes them, Drax sees the courtiers are very strange.  Men and women alike stand motionless in fancy clothes.  Each wears a wig and their faces are concealed with ceramic masks of smiling faces.  Each one clutches their hands behind their back.

As Drax is marched down the greeting line he can make out the one on the throne.  It is a strange looking man, tall and thin, wearing a mask of a smiling face.

"Approach peasant," says a high pitched voice with an tone of amusement, "I am the Bard!  I have been told you wish to be paid to be a loyal subject to my throne.  Is this true?"


----------



## Dalamar (Sep 30, 2002)

"And the thruth it is what has been told to you. I thought I could be of assistance."


----------



## Wicht (Oct 1, 2002)

The other laughs.  The sound of the strange laughter does not reassure Drax.

Finally the cackling stops and Drax is told, "I find honesty refreshing.  I do not know how useful you can be but know this.  There is an imposter in my city claiming to be me.  He is an ancient enemy.  If you can bring him to me I will see that you are richly rewarded."


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 1, 2002)

Drax nods.
"This imposter, does he have any special powers or skills that might be good for me to know?"


----------



## Wicht (Oct 8, 2002)

"He is a WEAKLING!!!  He poses no threat.  I merely wish to see him out of the way in the same way I would a fly or a mosquito."


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 8, 2002)

"I see. Now, if you allow me to leave, I'd like to go after this imposter of yours."
Drax makes a small bow at the bard.


----------



## Wicht (Oct 9, 2002)

There is a long pause.

Then the strange figure on the throne says, "Very well, Guards, give the man an escort."

Two of the red robed guards are soon at Drax's side and they lead him out a side door of the room and then through many twists and turns and empty hallways.  Finally they lead Drax out of the front door of the castle and escort him to the fountain.

"Get out," hisses one of them at Drax.


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 9, 2002)

Drax, ignoring the guard, straightens his sword belt in no hurry before leaving.
He walks along the road the circles the lake, going to see if he could find a place to gather some information.


----------



## Wicht (Oct 9, 2002)

The road past the lake circles around counterclockwise to the lake, passing several houses on the right as it circles.  After having walked over halfway around the lake, Drax sees that the path heads down towards a well populated area of the cavernous city.  There around the base of one of the pillars, there seems to be some sort of walled market.


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 10, 2002)

Drax, having nothing better to do, heads to the market.


----------



## Wicht (Oct 11, 2002)

The market is surrounded by a tall, spiked fence.  The gate at the end of the path Drax is on bears a sign over it that reads, "The Bizarre."

North of the market the ground is red and empty.  Just northwest of the market, Drax thought he saw a round arena like structure.

Entering through the open gate, Drax sees the market is full and busy.  Strange wares are for sale here and there and the air is filled with the cries of salesmen making their pitches.  The customers seem to be an unsavory lot for the most part.


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 12, 2002)

Drax will move around and listen to what people are talking about. Unless hearing something that will help him find the imposter, he will then go to the apparently-arena to see what's going on in there.


----------



## Wicht (Oct 12, 2002)

As Drax noses around, most of the conversations seem to be about merchandise, fights and the like.  A few people mutter under their breaths about the Bard and his cults, but no one complains loudly.

Apparently however someone notices Drax's eavesdropping.  

He is pushed from behind.

"You got a problem bud, you seem awful interested in other people's business."

The speaker is a burly man in leather armor carrying a spear.  He is scar marked and appears to be a seasoned fighter.


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 13, 2002)

"No offense meant, but I've been off the city for a while and need to know what's going on. Knowledge is power, you know."


----------



## Wicht (Oct 15, 2002)

"I'll show you power," snarls the man as he throws a punch at Drax.  

Drax may be mistakem, but though the man is acting angry, Drax suspects he is really enjoying himself.

*Thug*
*CR:* 6
*Hits:* 7
*Yen Factor:* 1
*Possessions:* Leather Armor, Clawed Staff(+1 claw, +1 staff)
*Powers:* Master of the Silent Hidden City, Dirty Trick, Shove, Chair Shot

_The thug attacks Drax_: *Chair Shot!!*

Drax takes *1 hit*.  The Thug follows up the attack with a series of fast kicks.


----------



## Wicht (Oct 15, 2002)

oops, forgot the last attack 

_The thug attacks Drax:_ *The crane bashes the shrine; reduces the chaos of the holy ground and drifts across the terror of the feline!*


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 16, 2002)

Couldn't I have Dirty Tricked that Chair Shot?
*The whip annihilates the village; quells the cut of the insect!*

As the thug attacks, Drax quickly whips up his swords and hits his adversary with the pommel, attempting to subdue.

*Hits:* 6/7


----------



## Wicht (Oct 18, 2002)

You can't dirty trick a chair shot, its an instantaneous effect.

Drax overcomes the other man's attack through sheer force, striking him back.

*Thug*
*Hits Remaining:* 6
*Yen Factor:* 1

_The thug attacks Drax_: *The thunder ravages the temple; fends off the quickening of the fortification!*


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 19, 2002)

*The raven rides through the grotto; grasps the offensive of the sky!*
FoF:*The weasel lies in the midst of the ruins; quells the gaze of the maze!*

As the other man attacks, Drax grabs his arm and twists it back forcing the other man down.


----------



## Wicht (Oct 19, 2002)

Drax's defense works as he desires and the other is slightly injured, but far from being out of the fight.

*Thug*
*Hits Remaining:* 4
*Yen Factor:* 1

_The thug attacks Drax_: *The cherry blossom removes the heavens; fends off the throw of the crevice! *yen** 

yen = 1


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 19, 2002)

*The fang thrusts the ocean; redirects the aggression of the body!*

Drax pushes the other to people around them, trying to get a better chance for an attack. Still making sure not to kill the other.


----------



## Wicht (Oct 20, 2002)

Drax's more passive attacks finally get himin trouble as the other takes the chance to deal *1 hit*.

*Thug*
*Hits Remaining:* 4

_The thug attacks Drax_: *The dagger drowns the clearing; avoids the kick of the cave!* 

yen = 1


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 20, 2002)

*The southern cross slaughters the shrine as it tramples the crevice; reduces the thrust of the insect!*

(Still subduing) Drax pummels the thug with the crossguard of his sword.

*Hits:* 5/7


----------



## Wicht (Oct 22, 2002)

As the thug reaches to choke Drax, Drax hits him over the head.

*Thug*
*Hits Remaining:* 3

_The thug attacks Drax_: *The oak tumbles in the midst of the shrine; shields against the terror of the field!* 

yen = 1


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 22, 2002)

*The manticore devours the ricefield; fends off the terror of the insect!*

"Why don't you tell me the reason you attacked my now that we've been pummeling each other for a while?"
Drax gives the guy a nice knee to knock the wind out.


----------



## Wicht (Oct 23, 2002)

The thug shields himself from Drax's attack and then tumbling past, manages to land *1 hit*.

"I just don't like your face," pants the man.

*Thug*
*Hits Remaining:* 3

_The thug attacks Drax_: *The raven burns the clearing; dodges the descent of the field!* 

yen = 1


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 23, 2002)

*The fox moves before the badlands; leaps over the stab of the ice!*

"That's not really a reason to try rebuilding it."
Cunning as a fox, Drax dodges the thug's attack and tries to land a kick.

*Hits:* 4/7


----------



## Wicht (Oct 23, 2002)

Drax miscalculates the man's attack and ends up taking *1 hit*.

"Easy Money," says the man with a grin.

*Thug*
*Hits Remaining:* 3

_The thug attacks Drax_: *The cherry blossom wounds the volcano; leaps over the rising of the stone!* 

yen = 1


----------



## Dalamar (Oct 23, 2002)

*The running mace prances by the wastelands as it tumbles nearthe Altar of the Ancestors; blocks the thrust of the star!*

"Haven't you heard the saying 'no pain, no gain'?"
Saying that, Drax lets loose a nice punch at the temple of his opponent.

*Hits:* 3/7


----------



## Wicht (Oct 24, 2002)

Drax blocks the man's attack and manages to land a blow.

The other man just laughs and attacks again.

*Thug*
*Hits Remaining:* 2

_The thug attacks Drax_: *The joyful cherry blossom illuminates the tombs; absorbs the roar of the holy ground!* 

yen = 1


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## Dalamar (Oct 26, 2002)

*The lizard carves the beach; quells the touch of the body!*

Getting majorly pissed off by the man just laughing at his attacks, Drax makes a few slashes at the man. But even in his anger he remembers to pull back to not kill him.


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## Wicht (Oct 27, 2002)

Drax scores another hit and the man, sensing defeat is near ceases to laugh and raises both hands to strike down hard at Drax.

*Thug*
*Hits Remaining:* 1

_The thug attacks Drax_: *The mace falls across the volcano; dodges the slash of the shell!* 

yen = 1


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## Dalamar (Oct 29, 2002)

*Shove*

Drax trips the man to deliver the knock out attack.

Got a bad move


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## Wicht (Oct 30, 2002)

The man stumbles momentarily and then attacks again with a quick dirty blow.

*Thug*
*Hits Remaining:* 1

_The thug attacks Drax_: *The lightning sucker punches the bluff; negates the blood of the fortification!* 

yen = 1


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## Dalamar (Nov 2, 2002)

*The cherry blossom devours the volcano; fends off the tempest of the field!*

Drax makes the finishing move, knocking the lights out from the thug.


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## Wicht (Nov 5, 2002)

The thug collapses in a heap on the floor.  As he lands a single yen rolls from his pocket, spins a moment and then stops and falls.

_Drax recieves 1.5 experience points._


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## Dalamar (Nov 6, 2002)

"Finder's, keeper's" (Or how is that written?)
Drax picks the yen to his pocket as he kneels down next to the thug and slaps him on the cheek.
"Wake up!"


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## Wicht (Nov 6, 2002)

The thugs 'friends' look at Drax funny as Drax trys to revive their companion. 

"What's he doing?" one of them asks another puzzled.

"Ugghh," mutters the thug Drax knocked out.


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## Dalamar (Nov 6, 2002)

"Welcome back to the world of the conscious. Now that we're done fighting and I beat the crap out of you, would you mind showing me around? I'll be nice and not take your stuff if you do."
Drax stands up himself but does not help the thug up.


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## Wicht (Nov 7, 2002)

Though Drax addresses the reviving thug, one of the thugs companions steps forward and steps on his 'friends' face taking the thug out of the conversation.

"Ya need a guide do you?" asks the thin man, "Go for quality.  I'm your man, Frink is just the muscle, not a brain in his poor head.  Where are you looking for?  The arena?  Big fight just finishing up a couple days ago but another ones coming.  You need to find someone or some place?  I can do that better then anyone in the city of the Bard."


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## Dalamar (Nov 7, 2002)

"Ah, good. Now, a general tour around the city would be nice. And I heard this tasty rumor of an imposter of the bard, you know something of the matter."
As he talks Drax picks up the staff that the thug he beat up was carrying and straps it to his own back.


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## Wicht (Nov 8, 2002)

Though his new guide knows nothing of a fake bard, he does learn that the pillar through which he entered into the city is the north-east pillar.  It opens up onto East Cross Street.  The North east portion of the city is made up of four streets forming a cross, each named for one of the cardinal directions (North Cross Street, South Cross Street, East Cross Street, West Cross Street).  There is a Cult house at each end of the streets.  South of the streets is the Castle plaze, dominated by manor houses, most of which are run by cults.  The castle, naturally enough is at the south end of the Castle Plaza.  The underground lake Drax went around is fed by the sewers, in which, his guide warns Drax, both cults and monsters alike dwell.

The Southwest portion of the city is dominated by the Bizaare, but the real attraction for most of the people in the city is the arena.  There fighters from across the lands come for the huge cash prizes, however, as all the fights are to the death, sometimes there is only 1 survivor from the hundreds that fight.


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## Dalamar (Nov 10, 2002)

"How are the arena fights held? are weapons and armor allowed?"


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## Wicht (Nov 10, 2002)

"You can use anything you want!  But you will be facing over a hundred opponents in a fight to the death!  Course they will be trying to kill other people than you too so you don't have to kill all one hundred to win, you just have to stay alive!"


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## Dalamar (Nov 11, 2002)

"An interesting way. Not totally unskilled myself, but I doubt I could take it. Are there any other places to fight?"


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## Wicht (Nov 11, 2002)

"If you just want to fight, well anywhere you want!  The guards only care about protecting the cults, but if you avoid those then you can pretty much do what you want.  Even then, word has it that someone broke into the cult of Tutul here lately and messed up one of their sacrifices."  

"Of course if you pick on the wrong guy you might find yourself in a world of hurt.  Insulting someone in one of the bars is a great way to start some trouble."

Now is there someplace in particular you want me to show you?"


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## Dalamar (Nov 12, 2002)

"You seem like one with resources. I bet you have a safe house somewhere around here. After the beating I just got, I could use some rest."


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## Wicht (Nov 12, 2002)

"I stay in the Broken Mouth inn," says the other.

"I can show you where it is."

He starts to lead Drax back in the direction of the Cross Streets.


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## Dalamar (Nov 13, 2002)

Drax follows the man.


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## Wicht (Nov 13, 2002)

The Broken Mouth Inn is on the southern side of West Cross Street, just east of a large cult house.  Robed guards stand outside the guard house.

Drax's guide shakes his head as he looks at the blue robed guards and then walks into the dark Inn.

Inside small groups are sitting and talking in hushed tones.  At the back of the barroom is a fighting match going on within a small ring.  A group of spectators is making bets and shouting.


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## Dalamar (Nov 14, 2002)

"I see you have a fighting ring here. Are the fighters any good?"
As he speaks, Drax moves closer to the ring to see how the fight goes.


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## Wicht (Nov 14, 2002)

"You want to fight?" asks Drax's guide as Drax edges closer.

Even as Drax watches, the fight ends when one of the fighters grasps the head of the other and smashes the other man's face against his knee.  Some of the onlookers cheer and others groan.  The felled fighter does not get back up.

"Wait here," says Drax's companion.

In a minute he returns with a thin man with a weasel face.  

"You want to fight?" asks the thin man.


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## Dalamar (Nov 15, 2002)

"It depends. Are there any rules I need to adhere to?"


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## Wicht (Nov 15, 2002)

"You are not allowed to kill the spectators," says the man with a grin.


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## Dalamar (Nov 16, 2002)

"As long as I can smack a few of them every now and then, I'll be satisfied."
Drax grins back.
"Where do I sign in?"


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## Wicht (Nov 16, 2002)

"Nothing so formal.  Whats your name?  If you do well here we have arrangements with the arena."

The  man leads Drax over towards the ring.


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## Dalamar (Nov 17, 2002)

"Drax is what those I haven't beaten up call me."


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## Wicht (Nov 17, 2002)

"Well Drax, step into the ring and show us what you got."

The winner of the last fight is still in there, toying with his daggers.  He smiles wickedly at Drax.


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## Dalamar (Nov 17, 2002)

Drax steps to the ring and draws his swords.
"I'm going to love smashing that smirk of yours down your throat."


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## Wicht (Nov 18, 2002)

As soon as Drax steps into the arena the man is at him.

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*CR: *6
*Hits:* 6
*Possessions:* Masterwork Daggers (+2)
*Powers:* Master of the Dagger
Fist of fury (x2)
Dirty Trick, Shove

_Gergo attacks:_ *The panther dances through the bluff; quells the edge of the tides!*


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## Dalamar (Nov 19, 2002)

*The lizard punches the atoll; blocks the rolling of the bone!*

Drax eases his backpack to the edge of the ring but away from the spectators so no one will get their hands on it.
"A bit eager to get your butt whupped, are we?"
Drax pushes straight with his sword, taking advantage of the longer reach he has.


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## Wicht (Nov 19, 2002)

Drax lands his punch

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*Hits: Remaining* 5

 

Drax posts first until Gergo uses his dirty trick


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## Dalamar (Nov 20, 2002)

*The fox drops upon the brush; guards against the tempest of the star!*

Drax brings down his swords from up and then deflects the incoming dagger.


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## Wicht (Nov 20, 2002)

*The thunder drifts higher than the hells; parts the efforts of the spring!*

************************************

Drax takes *1 hit* as Gergo calmly avoids Drax's attack.

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*Hits: Remaining* 5


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## Dalamar (Nov 21, 2002)

*The lotus blossom illuminates the beach; leaps over the quickening of the reptile!*

Drax whirls around slashing with his swords.

*Hits:* 6/7


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## Wicht (Nov 22, 2002)

*The wolf impales the tombs; reduces the onslaught of the settlement!*
Fist of Fury
*The crane impales the heavens; wards off the offensive of the pole!*

************************************

Gergo delivers two quick jabs and Drax takes *2 hits*.

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*Hits: Remaining* 5


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## Dalamar (Nov 22, 2002)

*The willow swims through the wastelands; fends off the slash of the tides!*

Drax pushes on with his attack.

*Hits:* 4/7


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## Wicht (Nov 23, 2002)

*The southern cross glides by the cavern; beautifully shields against the aggression of the spring!*

************************************

Drax manages to land his blow.

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*Hits: Remaining* 4


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## Dalamar (Nov 24, 2002)

*The oak spins before the wastelands; shields against the cut of the insect!*

Drax lands the pommels of his swords to the stomach of Gergo.


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## Wicht (Nov 25, 2002)

*The east wind speaks close to the dungeon; dominates the foray of the fires!*

************************************

Drax lands another blow.

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*Hits: Remaining* 3


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## Dalamar (Nov 26, 2002)

*The dragon assaults the city; reduces the assailment of the sickle!*
FoF:*The crane strikes before the vineyard; reduces the onslaught of the bird then it unrelentingly silences the descent of the flower!*

"You're slipping."
Drax initiates a leg sweep.


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## Wicht (Nov 26, 2002)

*Shove!*

************************************

"It is you who slips!" says Gergo as he moves quickly, tripping Drax as he approaches.  Drax tumbles into the trip, coming up unhurt, but his attack is ruined.

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*Hits: Remaining* 3


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## Dalamar (Nov 26, 2002)

*The phoenix strikes within the beach; reduces the punch of the venom!*

"Big words, little work."
Drax leaps in the air and kicks Gergo's head.


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## Wicht (Nov 27, 2002)

*The spear leaps over the plain; beautifully wards off the foray of the insect!*

************************************

Gergo leaps over Drax's attack, but even as he almost completely wards off Drax's entire attack, Drax lands a punch.

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*Hits Remaining:* 2


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## Dalamar (Nov 27, 2002)

*The panther assails the badlands; shreds the stab of the insect!*

Drax rakes at his adversary with his swords.


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## Wicht (Nov 30, 2002)

*Dirty Trick!*


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## Wicht (Nov 30, 2002)

There is a flash of light.  Drax blinks rapidly, trying to restore his vision.  It clears just in time for him to see Gergo lunging at him.


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## Wicht (Nov 30, 2002)

*The tsunami vanquishes the labyrinth so fast that it prances next to the Ancient Volcano; averts the chi of the wind!*


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## Dalamar (Dec 2, 2002)

*The snake drowns the wastelands; suddenly reduces the terror of the flame!*

Recovering from the sudden and dirty trick used by Gergo, Drax brings his foot up for a kick.


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## Wicht (Dec 3, 2002)

Gergo Strikes Drax for *1 hit* with a swift punch that Drax can not avoid.

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*Hits Remaining:* 2

_Gergo attacks:_ *The ki-rin punches underneath the marsh; quells the stab of the fortification!*


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## Dalamar (Dec 6, 2002)

*The dragon breaks the brush; avoids the push of the sky!*

Drax kicks Gergo to the sensitive place.

*Hits:* 3/7


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## Wicht (Dec 7, 2002)

Gergo rolls away from the brunt of the kick, but is still seems to hurt him and he leaps up and down for a moment in pain.

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*Hits Remaining:* 1

_Gergo attacks:_ *The thunder prances higher than the atoll; scatters the efforts of the field!*


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## Dalamar (Dec 14, 2002)

*The panther slides in the midst of the clouds; quells the violence of the mire!*

Drax knocks the last out of the guy, hoping he won't die... yet.


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## Wicht (Dec 16, 2002)

Gergo manages to just avoid Drax's attack, landing *1 hit* on Drax.

************************************

*Gergo the Knife*
*Hits Remaining:* 1

_Gergo attacks:_ *The wolf swims by the forest; silences the chi of the mire!*


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## Dalamar (Dec 16, 2002)

*The kama burns the foothills; shields against the foray of the iron!*

_Keep him alive,_ Drax thinks to himself. _The audience will like to be the judge._

*Hits:* 2/7


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## Wicht (Dec 17, 2002)

With a fierce attack Drax finishes the fight and Gergo collapses to the floor.

The audience cheers.

_Drax gains 1.5 experience points_.


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## Dalamar (Dec 17, 2002)

Drax secures Gergos weapons for himself and then checks if the man is still alive.


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## Wicht (Dec 18, 2002)

Drax just has time to see that Gergo is still in the land of the living before the owner of the establishment is at his side, looking to pump his hand.  

"Good Job lad, though if you give the folks a bit more blood you will be a big hit in no time.  If you want I can arrange another fight for you by this evening."


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## Dalamar (Dec 18, 2002)

"Could you wait a moment, I'm not finished yet."
Drax pushes the manager aside and then grabs Gergo up and turns to the audience.

"What say you?! Shall this man live?! YOU are the judge!"


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## Wicht (Dec 19, 2002)

The crowd roars its approval and with many laughs and cheers shouts, "NO!  Finish him!"

"You heard them lad," says the owner.


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## Dalamar (Dec 19, 2002)

Your wish is my command."
Drax makes a mocking bow to the audience before driving his sword through Gergo. He pulls the blade out and wipes the blood on the corpse.

"Now... what were we talking about?"


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## Wicht (Dec 20, 2002)

The owner smiles at Drax and for a moment there is something very evil and alien behind the owner's eyes.

"You will do good here," says the man, "If you want another fight and can wait a few hours I can easily arrange for other contestants.  It's good for business don't you know."

As the owner says this a horn sounds loudly in the air twice.  The patrons of the bar look up and the owner mutters something about an attack.


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## Dalamar (Dec 20, 2002)

"An attack, eh? Maybe there's something to fight while you arrange somebody here.
And if this really profitable for you, I want a share of the income."
Drax picks his backpack and shoulders it.


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## Wicht (Dec 21, 2002)

"I let you keep the man's equipment did I not?  But perhaps I can see about making the next bout more profitable, but it will mean a tougher opponent for you." says the owner "But as to an attack, the double horn means that a holy warrior has entered the lair someplace, but it is a general warning.  They are likely going into the golbin caves far above.  It is not a matter for you or I.  It is Lord Wicht's business.  Now will you stay here whilst I arrange the next fight?"


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## Dalamar (Dec 21, 2002)

Drax nods.
"Somebody should probably inform Wicht that he's run out of goblins....
I'll wait."
Drax gets himself a drink and then heads for an empty table to sip through it.
Mind making a new thread? This one's pretty long.


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