00-00 Motley's Dream "Manticore in the Shed"

After escaping Underdark Motley travelled a bit.... DROW no longer seen anywhere nearby and Motley want to kill them all. Especially the purple brain suckers. illithids! Death to evil DROW and ilithids! DEATH MOTLEY SAYS!

Motley settled down at the Old Skull Inn in Shadowvale and took a well needed rest.
Underdark stresfful. So Dark... and so..Under!

Motley had a strange dream that night... this what happened:

Motley and group (Remgrem, Fargrim Redbard, Becca Halfling, and new faces Cagalli, Gardrak, and the Artificer) all called forth by Bishop Benjamin. He very short. Short human. Like Motley but shorter! He was famous... He heard of us killing the DROW so he called for us... Black Marsh.... Glowright? He sending us on a mission for Church of Pelor. People have been turning from the Sun God... (No wonder. Sun is bright and fiery!). Bishop BenBen wants to know why why!
So we go...

We go to see the situation and after a while travel far from the Wagon’s Path. We found a signpost pointing in different directions. Fork in road. Fork in potatoe sound better.

One sign point to Cortai, the other to Corto... The names sounded familiar... Two brothers who were both blamed for murder then fled--ran ran away they did! Or were they sisters? Motley confused. All humans look a like to Motley.

Becca, in frustration stabbed the sign and it fell apart.

One of the siblings got killed by a Dragon. The other fell upon their own spear and died. So sad. So pathetic Motley think.

Hogswallow was our current destination... cannibals we hear of... we follow!

We came across old decrepit buildings along the road. Remgrem GobGob snuck over to a barn and peeked inside. He so curious. Gonna get himself killed again! Sure is! Night had fallen so it was dark... I see well...but Remgrem not so well in dark I think. Not sure.
He entered the barn alone and we waited. Ten...twenty..thirty moments go by. He not come out. I started to get worried.

Suddenly light flashed from within the barn. Fargrim Redbeard ran up to the wall and tried to break it, ready to kill flashy light! But he not able to hit the broad sie of a barn! Then BOOM BANG! The wall exploded outward showering him in splinters. Motley’s eyes went wide. A big man-faced-batwing-lion! A manticore!

Becca, crazy Becca, charged joyfully and poked it with her Pike. Teehee! It roared. Then she hopped back behind me telling me to protect her. As always. Gardak charged forward and stabbed it wit a sword. I got ready to defend and charged up myself. I swung but my warpick clanged harmlessly off of its tail spike... grr!

Remgrem popped up behind it, in the barn still and stabbed his glowing white sword into its backside. It roared and tried to take its anger out on me. Slash-Slash, Slashity-Slash! Under the pressure of its blows I skidded back a couple feet. So strong! It then lashed its tail around and shot spikey spikes at Motley’s head. I deflect, and it lifted into the air and flew above reach.

The barn was destroyed from the battle that far. Cagalli called for me to smack it. So I did as it was drawn back to the ground. I hacked into it, barely breaking skin. Tough Kitty-Man-Bat!

Artificer, who was Eladrin shot and he missed cuz Manticore deflected it with his ‘fist’.
Becca came running back up, Tra-La-La-ing and stabbed into its eye socket. She pulled back her pike and cried out in surprise as a lump of pink came with it. Manticore brain! Teehee!

Inside the farm house we found a box with gems. Meh. Motley not care about gems. Motley eat those with his breakfast. The whole farm was abandoned... everywone went searching arond. Motley was sad to say he found NO DROW. So farm not interesting to Motley.

We entered the main house and found bodies slumped around tables... fangey puncture marks in their throats. Looks like Rat bites. Rats killed these people? How so? No comprhend. Jumping rats?

Cagalli found a hidden basement under some boards.... Motley go down and Remgrem followed. Remgrem GobGob found a book and carefully looked--Silly Remgrem, can you even read?

I looked around awhile as he read.. “The Dead are restless!” was written in the book. We followed a small passage and smelled death... roots hanging from the ceiling? No they not smell like death!

Then we came to a stone door and Remgrem GobGob went up to it... I walked up to the door as well...maybe DROW beyond it!? Something inside door-room whispered word, “Visitors”.
Then Ghoulish humanoids appear in the misty shadows.... they wanted fed.

Remgrem leapt into the room stabbing at one in a bright flash of white light. Everyone rushed past Motley and into the room. That’s when I heard the Ghouls behind us. Motley turned and saw them climbing over a wall and a crevice. I got ready to defend, moved into the room with the group and the Ghouls and swung my warpick. It sunk into its elbow and it just looked at me and smiled. In anger, I reached into its mouth, grabbed its tongue and hacked into it.

Remregm popped out of the room and popped up behind us and killed the Ghoul right beside me then popped somewhere else and killed anotehr Ghoul. The smelly rotty humanoids were dropping like flies buzzing around their heads.

A ghoul had been set on fire in the confusion so I moved up and hacked and hacked, caving in its skull. Killing the final Ghoul.
With that done we followed the Catacombs.... and found an ancient bag of silver coins.

After moving on forawhile and wasting big moments of time, we came to a swampy area where something was skittering in the water. Hmm... Lizard Men. They spoke to Remgrem Gobgob. The Lizard Men telled Remygremy about a swamp giant. A huge purple humanoid with one eye... wait.... Motley know what that is-Fomorian! No! They almost as evil as DROW!!!!
There was one in the swamp nearby...

Motley got distracted by a shiney thing. Gold coin? New weapon? No--just a gold tooth.
Motley turned and realized we were by a bridge and had found the Formorian! It was talking to us.... so we tried to reason with it, but it smacked us and sent us flying across the bridge.

We made it to Glowbright after nursing bruises from Formorian... surprising he let us go. The town was pretty destroyed... Buildings collapsed everywhere... snell of something unsettling in the air.

Remgrem once again wen toff and approached a house where he heard something scraping. I watched in the eery silence... a sense of dread washed over Motley and what looked like the others. Artificer Eladrin and Fargrim Redbeard went up to the building with Remgrem. Cagalli and I walked closer and Cagalli said “Well met” to a digging creature! It looked like a ghoul but was digging and talking... inside a house... in its hand it held a cross...

We ignored it since it ignored us and we moved on. Inside another house were the bodies of children and a woman... horrible murders everywhere! Bodies in each and every house... were DROW responsible? I walked down an alley and found a big fissue in the ground and a statue of an angel... draped around the base of the statue were dead babies... oh my....  would DROW even do such a thing? Was there evil greater than Spider Kissers!?

As we walked past a house Fargrim was suddenly grabbed by muscular bone-white arms and pulled in a doorway! Eeek! Creatures with antlers and stubbs for feet floated toward us from all directions. One locked eyes with Motley and float-charged at me screeching a horrid sound. Surprised I got smacked backwards, the wind leaving Motley’s lungs. I swung back and hit but it had little effect. More began to show up... crap on a potatoe in the month of the moon! One comes at me and clawed into me, and I couldn’t blocked before white blocked my vision then everything went dark...

…

Motley opened eyes and a “Tall One” from what my allies were yelling was standing right over Motley. It leaned down and chomped into my neck! Yeeeouch! I pushed it away and hopped to my feet and catch my breath, then became like the stone beneath my feet. Then I hacked into the skull of the Tall One beside me on the ground, killing it for good I hope. The head that had separated started to mold back together with the body, but Remgrem blasted it into oblivion with a spell. Yay Remgrem GobGob!

I charged after the third and final standing Tall One and hack into its hip. It ignored me and slashed at Cagalli, knocking her out.  Remgrem blasted its head off its body and Becca came running and leaping in the air crushing the head before it could reconnect!

Suddenly Motley opened eyes and I was back at the Old Skull Inn.... strange strange dream... Motley no like undead... very creepy... Motley looked around, rolled over and went back to sleep.

E9-13 - "End of DROW Road"

Khara Dwarf-lady asked us what news of the surface we brought. We could tell her little. I said DROW attacked last timeI was there. Days ago... Khara seemed grim and then looked around saying we need to escape... but how? The Svirfneblin brothers pipe up and tell us of a secret tunnel they were digging to escape. It leads back to the surface. How gnome-venient.

Following the tunnel, we made it through and into the tower of Ashasba, but the doors slammed shut before we could get out. Motley smelled DROW. A DROW showed up and threatened us... we were told to give back the pendant or we would die slow painful deaths.
Motley don’t think so.
The DROW looked familiar... yes.... this DROW was a leader amongst the spider-kissers. Time to kill. A half-DROW, half-spider, that was enormous loomed atop the staircase waiting for us.... what is that... thing? A DROW-DER? A SPID-ROW? Remgrem said a DRIDER.... worth multiple DROW... hehehehe. But the big baddy worth much more.

Remgrem looked around and said, “Contacter me, Elminster did. Tell him we are okay I did.”
I sighed. Why no tell him we almost out and surrounded by DROW!? Not that we needed help. Motley got this.

The DROW leader shot webs at us and they stuck to the floor. Motley jump to the side and dodge them. Must kill leader... Drider first? Drider first! I charged up the stairs and hacked into the DRIDER’s nearest leg. It screeched like a spider and Tharnel ran up and got smacked in the process but helped Motley slash slash into big spider DROW, splashing purple blood out of it. OOh! Hehe blood! I smacked the DRIDER again in the side this time, and more purple blood oozed out.

The leader DROW shot lightning at Motley, and zapped me. I growled and turned to face the unruly spider-kisser. I resisted the mind control. MY MIND IS MY OWN! No more mind control! Bad DROW! I was slid across the floor from the force of the blast, but Motley’s mind is not taken over.

A ghosty ghost appeared above an altar in the center of the room. It old human with long beard... Elminster!?
“In time of neeed, comes I, Eminster! To help the defenders of Shadowdale! Take my spell!” Yay Elminster!
The altar burst into flames and Khara made us know she neeed to reform the pendant by heating it, then cooling it and giving it blood. It coud help take down the DROW. Which there were many of...  help may be needed.

I ran past the Drider which Remgrem was finishing off and charged the unholy drow Cleric. I hacked into the thigh, then darkness popped up around me. Cloud.... damn cloud! I could see nothing but I heard Khara and Remgrem cry out nearby. I heard the fire sizzle and Kharas boots run away from me. Good. She used the power to heat pendant! Now she need to cool it...

I felt the medallion from Motley’s dream as Brandis pulsating on my neck. I, Motley reached down and touched and suddenly there was light. The darkness was gone and the DROW looked very confused and stunned. I smiled ad swung my pick into the DROW again. In retaliation a swing came back at me with a magic rod, but I ducked. Motley too fast for stupid DROW and their stupid tricks!

In a flash of bright light an angel appeared... purple skin... wings.... it flew down from the altar and cast a spell of healing, and Fargrim and Remgrem looked much less bloody. Where did angel come from? Elminster send more help!? We not need this much help... as long as angel not kill DROW, Motley happy.

Tharinel came to my rescue and slashed a DROW that had snuck up behind me, slashing into her twice, drawing a red gash across her armor. I turned back to the shocked DROW leader and hacked again! Hurting the other knee badly! I could sense the holy magic of the angel bouncing around the room. We could not be defeated! Fargrim cried out a thank ye, as Tharinel killed the DROW behind me, that was dressed in purple revealing clothes. Eck!

The DROW leader was trying to flee. Motley not have any of this. Motley charged up and hacked into other knee again and dodged a whack from wicked magic rod. Remgrem ran up, determined to take Motley’s kill! No! Bad GobGob!

I jump into the air and throttled the leader and hacked the pick into DROWs forehead, ending the life of the resister. But it melted into spiders.... spiders... not a DROW? Still worth a lot of DROW kills in Motley’s book... but would we ever seet that DROW again?

The DROW were all dead, and the pendant had been reformed but not in time to really help. The angel of Elminster vanished and Shadowdale was saved. We exited the tower and made our way back to the Old Skull Inn where the journney had begun. A feast awaited us and many praises and cheers.

Elminster himself sat by the fire puffing his pipe. But something seemed to trouble him still. Why so sad!? Motley killed thirteen DROW in the Underdark! The more Motley kills the more Motley’s brain grows back! Yay! Motley now can remember where Motley’s home is! ...Baldur’s Deep! Or... wait no.... Neverport? No! Mithraly Moon!? Motley no know!

The pendant... it spoke aloud.. the beared of the pendant is the true heir... Khara maybe? Motley no know.. but the day was saved. Yay!

Time for a good rest!!

E9-12 - "Golems and Svirfneblin"

After the Torture Theater, we were so injured only a four of us could go on. Tharinel, Fargrim Redbeard and Remgrem GobGob! The others stayed behind. Needed to find Khara quick. She could be dead dead if not so!

To the slave pens we travelled. DROW pushed a fellow Svirfneblin into the pens. It hissed and tried to fight back, but got kicked. DROW! KILL!!! Remgrem stopped Motley from charging in. He point out a big creature covered in webs... maybe made of... webs... and a huge spider in the center of the chamber.

The DROW left, so Motley was sad... but still angry. Web thing and spider would make good subs. In th distance several Svirfneblin were hacking at the stone with picks. Slaves... No worry Gnome Bros! Motley save you!

Fargrim, angry, charged in at the giant spider, swinging his axe and missing as it hopped to the side. The Web Golem turned and slowly moved toward Redbeard and lifted its fist into the air, slamming Fargrim down into the ground. Oh no! Redbeard!

I wanted to get there to help, but the giant spider leaped at Motley. Blocked with shield I did, but it still sat in front of me...in my way.
Across the way Khara suddenly emered from the slave pens! Dwarven girl! She was alive!  She kicked spiders out of the way and charged at the Web Golem. Tharinel look inspired by this and he charged at the Web Golem too, flanking and slashing it twice.

The Web Golem reached down and stuck Fargrim into its sticky fist and lifted him off the ground. He roared defiantly but could not fight the strength of the thing! Then the golem turned and used Fargrim as a weapon, smashing into Khara. Both Dwarves yelled out in pain. Oh no!

The spider blocking my path bit at me and I put my boot in its mouth, ignoring it. Then I growled and whacked my pick into one if its many eyes. It screeched! Remgrem attacked the Golem along side Fargrim who had escaped the grasp of the thing. Tharinel stabbed into the mass of webs and it seemed to never go down! The golem picked up Khara and whacked Remgrem GobGob. Remgrem cried out and Khara went limp, knocked silly.

Fargrim tried to swing at the Web monster but got punched in the face, knocking him out cold. Then Remgrem turned to look up at the big creature and swung his white sword and it was blocked and he was kicked in the head, knocking him out too. I saw my brothers hacking away nervously at the rocks with their picks... they had weapons... they... could... “Help us brothers! We come to kill the DROW!” The other gnomes looked to each other then ran over and surroundeed the web golem, pummeling it, taking large chunks off of it. Tharinel knelt down in the distraction and smacked Fargrim awake. Fargrim grumbled, and stood up then took his axe and chopped the golem into pieces.

I cheered and noticed the big spider still was gnawing at my boot. Brothers ran over and beat down the spider and I took my pick and picked its brain. Teehee. Get it? It fell over dead. Khara reached into the Web Golem’s body and picked out the second piece of the Pendant of Ashaba. Yay we had both pieces and she knew how to put it back together! We could get out of the Underdark. Motley like killing the DROW, but Underdark so...dark and...undery... Sigh.

Motley's Crew

Motley's Crew.

E9-11 - "Torture Theater"

Motley Bachati 06 - 9-11 "Torture Theater Massacre"

Tharinel still followed us, but would be able to do little to help us fight the DROW when we got to the Torture Theater. We plan to raid it. When we near we finded a body pit filled with humans, and other once living things. DROW cheer from right around the corner in another chamber... time to kill the DROW!

I look around and Becca, Black Knight, Remgrem, Belgos, Fargrim, and Brandis. We decide to strike!

Becca leapt into the body pit as Belgos followed. The DROW, surprised, still shot hand crossbows at them. Becca Halfling girl ducked, but Belgos got hit in the thigh. Fargrim leapt into the pit and Remgrem took off after him. We had to go through pit to get around corenr to fight. I dive in and charge up the wall and smack a strong looking She-DROW, sinking my pick into her lower leg. She screamed and then the blood chalices around room produced Demons! Demons arent DROW... Motley has no interest. They were blobby and toothy.

Tharinel charged up beside me, killing the weak DROW. Motley should have gone for that one! Brandis climbed up behnid me and tried to free the human slave that was chained up to the wall. He tried to get it to fight with us. Why Brandis so cowardly!? We need not help! Black Knight fired at a Blobby Demon, missing.
A she-DROW lashed a scourge at Motley! Motley angry as it scratch into armor.

Becca then charged up at the DROW in violet clothig. Slashing into her side. She screeched and Belhos tried to climb out of the pit but fell back in. Silly (Good) DROW! So Belgos shot from within the pit and hit a stalactite. The DROW swarmed around me. So many to kill! Motley was about to drool! Until one DROW cut into me with its sword. Remgrem saw this and came, killing the DROW who hit me, then poofed and repoofed-ed. And a burst of magic came out of him and three DROW fell dead! No fair! Motley wanted those!

More DROW swarmed in. Motley not seen so many DROW since being captured and fed to illthids! Grr! Becca got cornered! No hobbit girl!
A demon began biting at my boot. I kicked it away. Brandis came up bravely getting ready to fight and defend. Brandis swung sword and missed triumphantly. But the DROW all looked at him, in his shining armor.
Black Knight came up and stabbed a whippy-scourgey DROW in the back, freeing Becca from being surrounded.
I tried to escape the scourge DROW held onto me with but failed, I struggled and failed more. I took a deep breath and bared myself against pain.
Eight more DROW came in! Too many... not good... Motley must kill! Remgrem became a pinchusion and fell over! Remgrem! Not dead again!?
Fargrim Redbeard charged up into the fray and the DROW in violet gets slashed into.

I finally escape the whippy whip and move to the side. I attacked a DROW in white, hitting her in the knee, and she cried out to the demons, who all surrounded the bleeding Motley. I looke around. “Oh noes!”
And they chomped into me and everything went dark.

…

Motley woke up in time to see final DROW of many many drop, dead.
“How many did I kill!?” I asked confused.

Brandis told me none. Grr!!! Motley must kill more DROW!

DROW had magic armor. I took and put on. Armor fullplate and black and gold. Motley’s favorite colors! Yay!

E9-10 - Spider Rain

We still on quest for Pendant of Ashaba. We notice icky spideys on ceiling top. As we go we find drops of blood. Yes, the blood is red! Motley excited to tell the group this!

Others say the blood formed a trail. Black Knight (Good DROW) suggested following the blood. I couldn’t tell if it was DROW blood...

Spiders leaped down from the ceiling and landed on us. I smack them away before they can bite. Spiders as big as Motley’s head! Remgrem swatted them off too. So we went on, and we find Elminster servant! He was very beat up. Very bruised. And bloody. Khara, the other servant was taken by the DROW and dragged away. Tharinel (Elminster servant elf-boy) told us Khara could be being totured... or in the slave pens. The DROW split the pendant in two pieces...
Khara is the only one who knows how to put the pendant back toheher. We decided she would be in the torture chamber. Torture theater? Plenty of DROW. Hmm...

We headed down the path to find a DROW merchant. We quickly killed his guards but the merchant got away...! Bad DROW!

Spiders leaped down on us again, I get bit and we run into slavers. The Kobolds escaped and helped us fight off the DROW.

More spiders! Icky! I get them off just as we arrived at the Torture Theater...

Drawing of Motley Bachtai