The Runelog

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by Christopher Bramley

Edited by Adam Manning

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Chapter 5 -  The Pool of Porchango

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Confronted with the whirlpool, the River Voices decided to wait for the tide to change which would hopefully make the river bed more accessible. Knowing that they would have to wait till morning, they decided to explore the surrounding area. Ever alert, they spotted a group of soldiers ahead looking as if they were preparing an ambush. Warily the adventurers evaded this trap and continued on their way.

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Towards late evening they came across a ruined village. They soon discovered a dilapidated inn where they decided to spend the night. Late into the night they heard a noise and they saw the winged daemon razing the village to the ground using it's fiery breath. Fearing the worst, the River Voices sought refuge in the cellar of the inn, remaining there until dawn.

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As Yelm, the Sun, rose, they headed back to the whirlpool. As only three had not used the Water Breathing spells it was decided that they should go down the hole. They lowered a rope and climbed down. Wieldar slipped on the greasy rope and fell down the hole. At the bottom he was swept down one of the two passageways by a strong current. The passageway narrowed until Wieldar became stuck and only managed to claw his way back up the passage by calling on the magic powers granted by his god, Orlanth, to give him greater strength.

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Meanwhile Germanicus and Yetharon had discovered the other passage was a dead end. Back tracking down the passage which Wieldar had fallen, they discovered a tributary passage. Following this tributary they were set upon by a dragon snail. After a small skirmish Yetharon killed the beast using the bow given to her by Falconnan.

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Swimming up the passage, the trio came across a chamber with a pool and two exits in the roof. Suddenly they heard a sound like children crying and became aware of a nauseating smell. When something moved in the pool Yetharon fired her bow. In response a Walktapus, a monster with the body of a man and the head of an octopus, came out of the pool and emitted an inky cloud which engulfed Germanicus and Wieldar. Suffocating, Germanicus and Wieldar only just managed to kill it.

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Meanwhile Aslak, Theseus and Elzibar decided to investigate the Black Tower but as they approached they were seen by six soldiers who opened fire with their crossbows. Theseus was wounded as they fled and Elzibar began to transform into his bestial form. Turning, he ran at their assailants, who in turn fled. They then returned to the river bank after visiting the newtling village to recover.

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Back in the chamber, efforts to climb up to the roof exits proved futile. Yetharon planted one of her magic seeds which swiftly grew into a mass of vines. Once Wieldar had spliced a rope, he used the magical item given to him at the Temple Barge to fix the rope in place. Climbing up, they found themselves in a corridor which led to a huge chamber which also contained a pool. There were also many small gelatinous humanoids that milled around chaotically.

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Using the oil which they had brought they set light to the pool's surface. They found themselves overcome with a feeling of bewilderment which they later realized was some form of offensive magic cast by an unseen opponent. Shaking of this confusion, Germanicus, Wieldar and Yetharon approached the pool. As they did so, many large gorps surfaced and realising that they were hopelessly ill-equipped to deal with so many, they beat a hasty retreat to plot their next move.

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Go onto Chapter 6.

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Go back to Chapter 4.

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