What Large Fangs You Have?! - 9/14/2019

The Clutch continued in through the courtyard, past the stables and the parapets. They came to a halt before an enormous set of double doors. Upon the surface there was an old crest - a dragon with four arms. The Crest of the Pale Lord. Lilli sighs at this sight, and explains to the Clutch that there was a time when elves had a class structure - complete with nobles. She stomps then returns after getting no further than ten steps away. She utters, 'Let's get this over with.'

Meattus nods to the group then pushes the doors open, their resistance met with a loud screech from their hinges. Lilli follows angrily muttering elvish curses, obviously not wanting to follow.

Sitara shakes her head as she follows. She tilts her head to the side as she breathes in deeply. 'Do you guys smell that? It smells like...perfume?' As she completes her sentence a fog rolls in, and a bone white elf with red eyes stares back at the Clutch.

Meattus: And who are you?

The Pale Lord (PL): Oh, I believe you know.

Meattus looks back to Olin: Do you know him?

Olin: I know that he is evil.

PL: I used to be much like you all. The path to good, an adventurer. However, I like this -much- better. You know. Let's see how you all do.

Meattus: How we all do?

PL: Oh, I do like you.

The floor cracks and breaks open the stones falling away rapidly. The entire Clutch falls. Lilli gasps, and jumps backward with a catlike reflex, her faithful companion also landing beside her.

The Pale Lord smiles, flashing two very large fangs. He floats across the empty void, as he hovers closer he slows and reaches his hand out to Lilli.

PL: Give me your hand.

Lilli: Why, why would I want to do that?

PL: Oh, trust me child, you do.

Lilli smiles and nods, 'I really do.' She looks to Isis, the black feline now pawing and biting onto the hems of Lilli's cloak, pulling her back. The elven monk shakes her head, confused. Isis would never guide her wrong...within that moment, she steps back and snatches Isis, and jumps into the void - hearing the calls of her friends. She yells up to the Pale Lord, 'Sorry!!'

Meattus manages to catch the falling monk and sets her on her feet. As he pulls himself up, he sees in the corner of his vision an emaciated T-Rex, missing large pieces of flesh. Hands with decaying, rotten meat falling from them reach from out from between ribs. Large foot falls soon echo through the chamber.

Olin yells, 'What is that, and what is going on?!'

Lilli yells, 'Um...it's a really big reptile...it's got pointy teeth, and sharp claws, and it's as big as a DRAGON! I do NOT think it is from around here!'

Sitara feels around in her pack and throws her everburning torch to the ground. The room now lit reveals the monstrous creature to all. She immediately calls upon her goddess to protect Meattus from evil.

Lilli growls and launches into battle at the foot of the T-Rex. She throws a flurry of blows, one attack and another, knocking the creature prone.

Meattus yells to the group to stay as far back as possible. He carefully starts climbing the walls of the cavern.

Olin growls looking to the beast, 'You better know what you're doing!'

Vulvia nods, 'You don't have to tell me twice love!'

The massive dinosaur snaps at the monk. She dodges a bite, then jumps over the tail. The dinosaur then looks to choke and spits out a zombie in a bloody mess. The zombie immediately takes action and launches for Sitara missing her barely.

Sitara incinerates the zombie with a searing strike.

Lilli disengages and launches a ball of fire toward the dragon mid back flip. She looks slightly confused upon landing. 'Did I do that?'

Meattus rages and throws his fists at the ceiling, wearing the knuckle busters that were so effective against the ALCR. Within this moment though...only a handful of rocks manage to fall.

The fight continues with the Clutch managing to land several blows to the massive dinosaur until Meattus spied the perfect opportunity to let go of the ceiling with his Spider Friend in hand. He free falls quickly with the great sword aimed true and cleanly pierces through the head of the dinosaur and pins the head to the ground.

Several zombies burst from the fallen zombified dinosaur's gut and shamble closer to the Clutch. Sitara, Lilli, and Vulvia have no issue dispatching the foes.

The Clutch manages to find:

190 gp (to Slush)

A Wooden Doll of an Elven Woman - Needs Identified

A Small Mirror etched with Several Eyes - Needs Identified

A potion of healing (2d4+2) - Used

A long serrated tooth with a magic rune - Needs Identified

The sounds of long, slow claps fills the cavern. The Pale Lord steps from a mist that encompasses the Clutch.

PL: I rarely have people who come that I get to watch! I almost feel...alive! It does get lonely here, well, with me and my followers.

Meattus: Don't your pets keep you company?

PL: (Chuckles) Oh my pets, I do collect them. But company? No.

A door behind the Pale Lord opens slowly, revealing an alternate light source. Sitara slowly reaches down and collects her torch.

PL: Now, onto more fun?!

Lilli sighs loudly, 'Let's get this over with.' She trudges forward.

Meattus stays behind as the others file through the door, and manages to pull a talon from the T-Rex corpse before quickly running to catch up with the others.

The walls of this room are a bright white. The door seals behind Meattus leaving no obvious exit. Sand starts to pour into the room from an unknown source. The Clutch and their friends start to talk about how to seal the holes. Lilli scowls walking along the walls. She sighs, 'REALLY?' Then kicks a secret door in.

The voice of the Pale Lord touches the ears of all, 'Bad form. Elves should have more drama in their life.' Lilli scowls and yells back in reply, 'LESS DRAMA YOU FOOL, MORE FUN.'

PL: Oh, you shall have fun alright.

Suddenly the Clutch arrives in a hallway with large paintings lining both sides. At the end of the hallway is a very large set of double doors. The paintings are of angelic looking elves. Sitara whispers, 'The Eladrin.' She explains that they were the noble elves. Lilli nods slowly, and winces as she feels eyes peering upon her. She keeps her gaze down to the floor.

Sitara and Meattus continue looking around them for clues or other ways out of the hallway, that may not be evident. They do not find another way out, but instead find a small jewelry box behind the portrait of a beautiful elven woman. It is gilded with angelic wings on it, and in elvish says, 'for the love of my life.' Within the box is the following:

a mithril diamond ring - Needs identified

An old parchment wrapped with twine - one ring to show our love, one ring to bind us, one ring to seal our love, and forever entwine us. The Clutch tries to decipher what this may mean, but then pushes on after they notice Lilli cowering and pushing herself between them. When they ask why she is doing that, she only shakes her head and says she's fine.

Meattus throws open the double doors, and before him is a voluptuous beautiful woman wearing a gossamer dress. Sitara and Lilli also notice that she has two puncture marks on her neck.

Woman: Oh! I had no idea that the Master was entertaining!

Meattus smiles, and nods feeling compelled to get closer, and believe any word she says. He peers past her seeing two undulating bodies on the floor behind her with a woman in leathers beyond them.

Meattus: Now this...I am used to this.

The woman smiles, 'Yes, come join us! Closer...'

The woman caresses Meattus, then licks his neck. As she pulls away, you see blood on her lips and notice it trickling down as she smiles.

Lilli growls, 'No!' She jumps into battle as she witnesses her friends blood.

The Clutch manage to slay the vampire and thralls, but not without expanding several spells, and getting severely injured. The leather clad woman in the other room never joined the fray but instead laughs as they fall. 'Well that is one less rival.' She then disappears into a mist.

Meattus finds The Leviathan Axe.

The Clutch then gains a level.

####  Next Adventure:

Things are not always what they seem! - 9/20/2019