Tanevir's Request, Part 2

About the Saga

Tanevir's hunch was right -- something was threatening the Blackrazor Brewery: bugbears. Demetry Hawkins, Gnarth Binderstone and Aesop must drive off this menace.

Timeframe

• Greyhawk Date: Good-month 3, CY 587
• Real World Date: 08/10/1998
• Read other Blackrazor Guild Sagas

Cast of Characters

• Aesop, mage
• Demetry Hawkins, cavalier of Trithereon
• Gnarth Binderstone, gnome trickster
• Tanevir Calywyn, ranger and spellsword

Notable Quotes

• None.

What Has Come Before

Tanevir Calywyn, one of the few remaining senior members of the Blackrazor Guild, has become alarmed by the apparent plotting and manipulations of the Guild's master, Damocles Everton. Everton understaffed the guild's brewery and Tanevir decided to send three junior members of the guild -- the mage Aesop, the gnome illusionist/warrior Gnarth and the cavalier warrior Demetry Hawkins -- to reinforce it.

• Read the previous saga

The Saga

Good-month 3, CY 587

Rendevous at the farm house

After battling their way through the lands outside of Obsidian Bay to the guild's farm house, the Blackrazors settled down for a night's rest. That rest was broken, however, when Tanevir arrived at the house. The Blackrazors quickly told their leader what happened to them on the way out of the city, and the mage-ranger in turn told them that all contact with the brewery had been cut off. He ordered them to determine what was going on and -- if it was too much for them to handle -- to come back tot he farm house for help.

North to the Brewery

The next day the Blackrazor headed north toward the brewery. That night, as they readied their camp, they were attacked by a giant slug. Naturally they fought it, with Gnarth taking a blast of acid to the chest, and Demetry suffering a bite from the creature. As the cavalier fought it in hand to hand combat and the mage Aesop peppered it with magic missiles, Gnarth retreated to a safe distance and fired arrows at it, finally killing it with a well-placed shot to the creature’s blubbery side.

"Yes! The cavalier is denied the kill again!" Gnarth shouted then quickly said "That wasn’t me. I didn’t say that" as the cavalier looked menacingly in his direction.

Good-month 4, CY 587

Arrival at the Brewery

The next day the Blackrazors arrived at the brewery and met up with the exhausted men there. They told them that a band of nearly two dozen bugbears had been harrassing them for two weeks. They had been buying them off with beer ... but now the beer had run out.

Demetry and Gnarth decided to investigate. On a patrol around the outskirts of the brewery they found a place where the bugbears had bedded down, apparently to spy on the brewery. For the next two days, the Blackrazors searched for the bugbears, hoping to attack them, but to no avail. Frustrated, they left a sign that said "We pissed in your ale last time. Ha, ha, ha!" in crude common with pictures graphically depicting the message.

Next day found a human skull on the sign with a message burned into it: "I pissed in this man’s skull"

"Hmmm. Looks like we’re having a pissing contest," Gnarth said with a giggle.

"Maybe they have some sort of magic?" Demetry said as he looked at the sign.

"Nah, they’re barely smart enough to rub to sticks together," Gnarth said.

"Hmmm ... they’re barely smarter than dogs," the cavalier said with disgust. He buried the skull and the two headed back to the brewery.

Battle with the Bugbears

Finally, the Blackrazors were able to fight a small group of bugbears, who ran back to their den -- a large hole in the ground. The three Blacrazors stood around the hole, arguing about the best approach, and why that approach didn't involve Aesop fireballing the lair. . Finally, they decided to leave Aesop out with three guards while Demetry and Gnarth head underground. Gnarth bravely ran into a corridor and suddenly found himself face to face with four bugbears. He shouted for Demetry’s help and dodged monstrous blows as he weaved a blur spell to protect himself.

As Demetry arrived and landed a series of strong blows against the bugbears, Gnarth tried spook one. It failed to run screaming in terror. . Hmmm, Gnarth thought aloud, that’s the second time that’s happened. Later on Gnarth dropped his sword as Demetry tried to attack with his shield and failed, throwing himself off balance. Meanwhile Aesop ran down into the corridor and sent magic missiles streaking into a bugbear. They easily defeated the remaining bugbears and continued to explore the complex.

They worked their way through several rooms and eventually found a long east-west corridor. At the west end of it were a number of bugbears taking shelter behind a table and firing crossbows at the party. As the Blackrazors moved to attack them, more bugbears arrived from the east. Sensing that this was bad, Gnarth decided to cast his most powerful spell -- "Summon Ragnar". In reality, it was just an improved illusion spell, but the bugbears didn't know that. They fell unconscious as the illusion of the barbarian prince smashed his way through the opposition. Within minutes, their enemies were all dead or unconscious.

Further exploration uncovered the "throne room" of the bugbear lair -- and the chief of the bugbears. He stood there with a knife to the throat of a human female hostage "Release the woman or die," Demetry growled. The bugbear refused. "I think you'll leave or it'll be this woman who dies," he said with an evil, sick grin.

The Blackrazors had no choice. They withdrew from the lair, but as they did so Gnarth ducked down a side passage and used his ring to become invisible. There's no way that bug thing is going to beat us, not today! he thought to himself. The others left, and the bugbear through the woman into a room and locked the door. Gnarth saw his chance and took it. He attacked the bugbear chief and landed a series of brutal blows.

The creature was not impressed.

The creature did not die.

The creature summoned reinforcements.

Muttering something extremely foul in gnomish, Gnarth turned invisble and ran. He'd been badly hurt during his little tassle with the chief, and now all he wanted to do was run away. As he scrambled away from the chief, he saw that a bugbear shaman -- and several of its skeletal creations -- had joined the chief. The skeletons, immune to his invisibility spell, attacked him. And then the world went black.

Rescued!

Fortunately, Aesop and Demetry realized something had gone wrong, doubled back, defeated the skeletons, and rescued the badly beaten Gnarth. They then returned to Obsidian Bay, sneaking back in through the Poorman's Gate.

Experience & Loot

• No experience and/or loot is available for this saga.