Gaigin felt it right away, probably because the heat of battle had not totally overwhelmed his senses. It was a distinct rumbling coming from deep inside the earth's bowel. Ptellac heard it next and merely kneeled down and started to pray once again; even giving his back to the dangerous creatures that still fought about the heroes. The rumbling turned steadily louder as another great earthquake slowly came into being. The walls and floor started to shake as the last time when the crevice was unearthed; could this earthquake bury it back along with the companions? Gaigin gathered strength to yell out a warning for everyone.

"By the Dragon's Breath!" Gaigin cursed through clenched teeth as he felt the ground rumbling. Two possibilities, neither pleasant. Either they were about to be hit by another earthquake, or something very large was on the move. To make matters worse, Ptellac was in trouble, and no one could be spared. Gaigin cursed again and began to move towards the fallen guide.

Realizing that the others were probably too hard into the fight to notice the ground, Gaigin called out, the harshest warning he knew, and one that would put any Caravan guard on his or her toes in an instant...he only hoped it would work. Taking in a deep breath, Gaigin bellows out in his best Caravan Captain's voice:

"LOOK SHARP!! GUARD WELL!! DRAGON ON THE RISE!!!"

Hoping the others would realize the importance of his message, Gaigin struggled to reach the downed Pterran and help him to the wall, putting every last ounce of his strength into helping Ptellac reach the relative safety of the wall.

The pterran reached out and clasped the guard's hand. Gaigin winced in pain as strong nails dug into his forearms. Ptellac pulled himself up and leaned warily against the wall; his breath coming in shallow gasps. The ex-caravan guard did his best to help the saurian staunch his blood loss but his burn marks all over his scaled body left the green skin dry and brittle.

When he heard Gaigin's warning, Mendi's caravan guard reflexes allowed him to instantly understand that some new danger threatened the party. The elf knew from his recent look behind that nothing was coming, so he listened acutely and his keen ears soon perceived the low rumbling sound that announced a new tremor. The situation was becoming all the more critical. Scanning the battle, Mendi saw blood on all of his companions. He had seen the pterran collapse, he knew that Tak couldn't sustain much more wounds from the blob, that Koreth and Elric were also weakened. With his crossbow cocked and leveled, the elf waited for another shot.

Rayne hears a shout and looks around. Suddenly, she begins to realize the building is moving more than usual. The mul stumbles close to the halfling blob as a particular strong motion shakes the building. The blob forms its free flowing hand into a hard hammer that swings straight at the warrior's head. The ex-slave brings her tortoise blade up to block but only manages to deflect the rushing weapon. The hammer hits hard on her shoulder as a sickening crunch reverberates in Rayne's ears. The mul steps back and raises both her arms to cover from further blows.

Tak’ saw that with Elric and Rayne fighting at his side - and Mendi harrying the beast with his crossbow; they were making some progress. <If only I can keep myself alive long enough to make the killing stroke> Tak’ thought, his physical body flying through the air in a desperate attempt to keep away from another swing of the blob's razor-sharp steel sword.

Leaping closer, the hunter saw his opportunity - and was only a hand span from the skin of the beast as he heard Gaigin's loud warning. Preparing for the worst, Tak’ lunged at the blob with his ornate life-dagger, keeping his more simple - but still effective Sloth Tooth dagger close, to ensure that any strike by the blob could be answered by a quick parry.

Tak’ got inside the guard of the halfling-leader, and thrust his dagger into the blob just as the tremors began to shake the very ground on which the heroes stood. Taking advantage of the confusion and the sudden movement of the blob towards him, Tak’ pushed deeply pressing the dagger through the gelatinous muck, spearing the halfling leader through the chest, causing a short cry - an exhale of breath, and a strange deflating sound as the blob lost shape and started to pool out over the floor.

Pulling his dagger from the beast, his arm a mess of ooze from the elbow down - a testament to how deep his blow was, Tak’ smiled grimly - knowing that he was completing his racial duty. Another surge of the ground brought Tak to the present as not far from him another of the strange life shapes still battled and did its best to keep its new found freedom.

Elric sets his balance from his first attack, his second blade whirling about a counter weight to his initial strike but his eyes go wide as he realizes the blob is no longer moving. The amorphous blob slowly dissipating, almost seeming to draw itself into Tak's life dagger. Eye's flaring wider still at the odd sound of metal hitting living stone, Elric turns to see the glowing sword fall to the ground. Looking past the sword, Elric sees the second blob still moving. With a quick snap of his hand, Elric sends his second bone sword into its scabbard and reaches out for the elusive treasure. (DM note: Good try for that tumbling maneuver, John but Elric just doesn't know that.)

The battle could be going better, with two of the pack wounded and no longer fighting, not to mention that the pack was about as badly wounded as their opponents. Still, with no one dead or dying, it still could go worse. The most pressing concern to Chit-Zik was the seemingly eminent death of Tak at the hands of the twins.

Memory of the lightning rod growing strong in his head, Chit-Zik charges the creature in its possession, trying to kill it before it can hit Tak -or anyone else- with its deadly blow. He launches himself at the creature with a flurry of claws. The large kreen hindered by the low ceiling inside the living building exchanges blows with the always fluid and changing creature.

Despite a few dangerous scratches, the blob continues to fight, although hopefully not long. The Chit-Zik follows up his attack with a bite, knowing by scent this creature would not taste very good at all. A sword limb intercepts the kreen's head and Chit's mandibles close around the sword's hard blade. It was like biting hard bone ad the Chit could not pierce the surface of it bit still the green saliva oozed forth covering part of the halfling. The blob's spike limb again lunges and connects with the kreen's body. Fortunately, the hit is not strong enough to pierce the chitin and only manages to scratch the surface. As the blob recoils its limb, it catches the strange wispy creature fluttering about dissipating it into the thin it seemed to be made of.

Koreth was searching for an opening in the defense of his opponent when Gaigin yelled his warning. He took a few steps back, squatting down to steady himself before the tremor came. As the ground began to shake, Koreth held himself up if only barely. The warrior lunged for the killing blow and raked with his wrist razors one more time. The strange life object shaped its limb into a hard hammer once again and waited for the warrior. Koreth feinted once and drew a powerful swing, which was when the warrior closed in. One of his bone razors came back bloodied again but the halfling swung his hammer limb on a back swing. The spike on the back-side sunk deep into Koreth's shoulder pushing the noble hard against the wall. Panting and holding his shoulder, Koreth trembled as he watched as the creature turned on him again; fortunately Elric and Tak were almost upon it.

Aryus curses as frustration builds inside him. The battle was not going well for he or his companions. Elric had suffered heavy injuries and Ptellac was crawling on the ground. Without any effective spells left, Aryus readied his bow and loaded iron tipped arrows to it. Aiming carefully and making sure that his companions would not be hit, Aryus waited to send his arrows toward the blob monstrosity. "That creature is from the depths of the abyss." The windmage thought, "I must send it back to its home." The archer draws and waits for a good shot…the arrow is never released as too many companions danced around the mortally wounded blob. Elric and Tak were now upon this last opponent.

As the bone blade snaps home, Elric runs over to the dead blob, arm out stretched toward the glowing sword. Bone sword in one hand and glowing metal sword in his other, Elric charges at the remaining blob. "Everyone fall back and prepare to get out. Tak get that life dagger over here!!" Just before reaching the blob, Elric uses his new 4'6" frame to good use as he drops into a low run, hoping to dodge any lightning blast. With his next step, Elric leaps up bringing his blades to bear.

Tak’ leapt into the gap left by Ptellac, the nimble halfling seeking both to protect his comrade from further harm - and end the rampage of this beast who desecrated halfling life and art. "You shall trouble the people of the Green no longer!" Tak’ bellowed in his native tongue - his companions taking his loud cry as another of his customary battle chants.

Launching forward with a single-minded purpose, Tak’ attacked, knowing this time that a decisive blow was needed. Tak’ aimed for the center of the twin - hoping to drive his ancient weapon deep within its gelatinous body. The life-dagger slid easy into the blob, and was met with a macabre scream as it was thrust into its innards. A strange hiss was heard as the dagger actually burned through the body. The life creation seemed to cringe from the dagger as a purple grubs cringed when thrown into a hot obsidian pan.

The creature screamed its pain and rage; almost dying, it changed again, probably for the last time. Its bloodied hammer limb changed into the hollow tube and the creature screamed again. A flash and a loud explosion followed the gurgling noise. Everyone near was momentarily blinded but Tak took the worst of it all. The small hunter was thrown back against the wall as the lighting hit him and a large burn scar was visibly under his leather armor. The halfling was still conscious, as the strange dagger seemed to have taken a large part of the impact. The halfling advanced again only to see Elric's handiwork.

The warlock is desperate and sees the creature almost done for but not yet dead. The bone blade cuts into the blob, a gash opening in its wake. The complex attack pattern brings Elric's new metal blade up as he reverses his spin and slashes horizontally across the blob's midsection. The metal blade screams through the air, slicing into the blob with deadly accuracy. Elric is amazed that the blade did not even slow as it passed through the blob as his bone blade had. Quickly gaining his balance Elric faces the blob holding its attention as Tak comes from behind with his life dagger in hand.

Time seemed to have stopped for the companions and every sounds and smell came in very distinctly to their senses. Their hearts working frantically to supply the needed blood, the smell of blood within the small chamber and even the smell Tak's new charred skin seemed to fill their senses. Everyone's attention was focused on the remaining halfling, not even aware of the minor adjustment made to keep from falling on the trembling ground. Slowly, the blob stares blankly ahead as it falls first on its knees and then face down flat to never move again. As the other body had done so, the gelatinous cover on the halflings merely poured out without any shape leaving only the strange renegade warriors behind amidst a an amorphous blood of liquid.

More rumbling and shaking snaps the spell on the companions as their current situation is seen with new light. Mendi lowers his crossbow and yells out, "Let's get out of here, follow me to the room we came in one, I have an idea but need to get closer.

"We better get this over with quickly. If I, an air cleric, dies in a cave in then I would be dying in my opposite element and thus emerge as a Krag. I'm sure no one wants that," exclaims Ayrus. No one seems to understand the windmage but that was hardly on the companion's mind at the moment as the floor danced to a deadly piper once again.

The companions follow the elf out as best they can. Rayne grabs a hold of Gaigin as the caravan guard trails behind her. The strong mul stopped trying to pick him up as Gaigin hit himself on the low ceiling a couple of times. Koreth was helping Ptellac who was just about to pass out. Everyone else seemed to move on their own albeit some slower than others. Elric brought up the rear with his new sword still unsheathed. (John: I want a good description of the short sword for next turn.)

Mendi lead them to the room where the crack they came in was. Looking towards the place they came in from, the elf quickly judged the distance to the cliff's edge and smiled as his eyes turned inward. Mendi reached for his last reserve of mental power, in the mindscape, a strange, multicolored vortex formed near the elf's body, and as the elf struggled with his last strength, his tired mind reaching his innermost limits.

The vortex slowly became a bright rectangle, a door to safety, "Remember the flood! Through the door, all of you! No need to get buried alive!" yelled the elf before he stepped through the open door. On the other side, the peddler anxiously waited for his companions to go through the door while the tremors became easily perceived. Mendi sweated, as his door became more difficult to maintain by the moment. Rayne barely stepped through it, unceremoniously bearing Gaigin under her arms. Koreth and Ptellac were next and soon the whole party was on the other side trying to keep their balance.

Mendi gasped for breath as Elric stepped through and the shimmering portal disappeared when the real earthquake hit. Some kind of aftershock hit Mendi who fell on his knees, and then collapsed as the floor danced a mad dance.

Balance was hard to maintain as the ground shook and trembled with a few upheavals here and there thrown in. Sooner than expected, the earth stops its buckling and silence reigns again. Ptellac's body was the first to start to complain as hoarse sounds escape his snout. When at least the earth ceased to shake, the elf groaned feebly, and regained his footing. His hairs plastered by sweat, his tired face soiled by muddled dirt and sweat, Mendi was looking two centuries older than he was. He walked shakily towards the tall mul, and smiling weakly to Pterran: "And I thought that this was going to be an enjoyable little trip!"

As the heroes pick themselves up off the floor, they carefully peer over the edge of the crevice. Astonishment show in their faces as the temple is no more. Only new fresh earth is covering where the temple should be. Dust still covered much of their view but as it settled, there still was no sign of the living building which seemed to have gone back to whatever age it came from.

The party looks at each other in disbelief thinking that perhaps this was one strange nightmare…Their many wounds tell otherwise and so can Elric. The warlock was busy swinging his new found sword at imaginary opponents. The heavy metal blade was perfectly balanced and seemed lighter than his own bone swords. The warlock was admiring its beautiful hilt as a strange squeaking noise calls everyone's attention. Mendi's pack had poured its contents out onto the grass and the heroes could see a strange looking sponge and the clear crystal container. The cube had spilled its clear liquid content and the strange worm seemed alive now; it writhed about and squealed as if in pain. It crawls underneath the pack, away from the harsh sunlight and its pain seems abated. All of the sudden, a powerful light surges from underneath the pack. As Mendi carefully lifts his bag, everyone can see that it is the worm's body that is giving forth that energy. Mendi quickly covers the creature again as it starts squealing in pain as sunlight touches its body…

Your actions…

OUT OF CHARACTER

HEALTH STATUS

Remember the scale:

Healthy (H) 100% hitpoints remaining

Slightly Wounded (SiW) 75% to 100% hitpoints remaining

Wounded (W) 50% to 75% hitpoints remaining

Seriously Wounded (SeW) 25% to 50% hitpoints remaining

Mortally Wounded (MW) 0% to 25% hitpoints remaining

Tak (SeW), (SeW) PSPs

Mendi (SeW), (MW) PSPs

Elric (W)

Rayne (W), 0 PSPs

Ayrus (SeW)

Ptellac (MW)

Chit (SeW)

Koreth (SeW), (SeW) PSPs

Gaigin (MW)

Gaigin will recover full hitpoints gradually in 5 days time notwithstanding any magical healing

Great job everyone; I am really having a good time here.

Let's get them creative juices flowing here.

EXPERIENCE

Here is the experience gained. Please do your numbers and let me know if you go up a level which I believe many of you will. We will work on adjusting character sheets next week.

Polonious: Gaigin is getting his share from last time as well since you weren't here.

Do not forget that multi-classed split this evenly in both classes.

USE MORE DESCRIPTION IN ACTIONS

I have had some opinions on the proposed system and am waiting to hear from the rest of you before I make a decision. For those of you who lost the email, here is the issue again:

MODIFYING AD&D SYSTEM AGAIN

I have read a message in the DS list but I unfortunately erased the message. It dealt with something that has been bothering me for a while (like hit point recovery system which when changed seems to be working well).

I am thinking of a 2 high level characters battling each other and the fact that it would take "many" hits to kill each other and I will never be able to describe a character killed by "an arrow through his throat". The fact is that an arrow does 1d6 hit point and we may be able to add a couple of more for specialization and such but not enough to kill a high level character. It gets a little better with a hand-held weapon but not much; the fact remains that a killing stroke is probably dealt after the victim has sustained many wounds.

I know many of you are yelling "critical hits" and I say yes…but modified. Critical hits are "lucky" shots. I use a roll of 20 which gives you double damage but this is true if the character is a lowly herder or a 15^th level gladiator. So I was thinking that if a character hits with "points to spare" then it is a better hit. That way it reflects the character's general skill (level) and specific skill (certain weapons). So if a character hits with 5 points to spare (he rolls a 15 or higher when he needed a 10 to hit) then he scores double damage. And if a character hits with 10 points to spare (he rolls a 19 or higher when he needed a 9 to hit) then he scores triple damage. Before you all cheer up, remember that this works for NPC and monsters as well.

Also spells should be harder to save against if cast from a high level spellcasters. Especially those with "save for neg." effect. The others that you "save for half dam." are usually adjusted by levels. So half a fire ball from a 9^th level wizard is more than half a fire ball from a 6^th level wizard. So maybe the penalty should be something like for every 3 levels of difference, the penalty is 1 to the saving throw. For example, a 5^th level rogue saving against an 11^th level defiler would get -2 on his saving throw.

I am seriously thinking to incorporate this into our game but would like to hear your opinions first.

Thanks.

Questions, comments, and suggestions please.

L8r,

Fabian