The Following Dark

"In time, he will call me master... but for now, I bow before his will. These so-called Heroes must realize they have no chance against his strength. This group of misbegotten fleas have only just discovered who they are dealing with, and don't even know his full power. They reported being trapped in the mausoleum with Mazzarbul and his spawn, but begged their way out when the master explained that it was not destruction that drove him, but self-preservation. Even such mewling fools as them will sooner or later discover the truth; they live at his pleasure, and only so long as they remain useful agents of change.

But they do his work well. Already they have slain a choker, a swarm of giant rats, a horde of ghouls from some unnamed place, driven off a goblin tribe and what sounds like an earth mephit, and most impressively, killed a bulette by dropping a heavy elevator platform onto its back. It sounds as if they are absolutely destroying the catacombs to accomplish it, but they may yet find the stalker in shadows which the master spoke of.

This party of misfits have discovered a true curiosity, an ancient shrine to Maglubliet molded in old times by goblins and buried deep in the ground. It has a foul presence, and calls to the unclean ones below, but the weapons (shield and mancatcher) are genuinely powerful items, the first to be seen here for many a long year. I wonder if it also calls to the stalker?

The fools have done nothing yet to secure the surrounding lands, but... I wonder, have they met the boar? Forged some sort of alliance? That oaf would not keep to any deal longer than a few minutes, but who can say. This will require closer watching. And they did allow the Highwallman's mate to be carried off by an arrowhawk by accident... or not? How do the pieces fit together? Or is this some play by that corrupted Matron to bring about my downfall? Faugh! Where is Torvald when I need him?"


-Ennis, acting mageguard of The Bastard


Selected highlights:

• He's like Ironman, shining his highbeams everywhere
• Other than the feces,...
• The party is learning that there are times to deal, times to fight, and times to run. Yay!
• We introduce the phrase "Gong-esque" in Maglubliet's shrine
• Meet Civlis, racial supremacist and liar
• [I need an Arnie-style one-liner about dropping an elevator on a shark. Suggestions?]
• Winner: "Going down!"