Episode 5: Against the Slavers

Today's adventure was almost canceled due to the weather; as it was, the snow kept half the players away, which sucks. But we did finish the adventure, so that's a bonus. Hopefully we'll have better attendance for the next part of the campaign.

The party checked their resources one last time. Erf decided to down his potion of invisibility in hopes of  catching the slavers by surprise from behind. As their preparations were completed, they burst through the door at the end of the bridge. Upon entering, they found a large throne room, in which a pair of dwarves were haggling over a chained-up child. Three other children were chained to a post, and the dwarf in armor turned and glared at the newcomers.

"What are you doing here, interrupting my negotiations?" he demanded.

Thinking quickly, Arthur Morgan spoke first. "We're here to bid on the slaves," he said quickly, shaking a purse of money. Jax looked at him askew for a moment, but said nothing.

"Those three are already sold," replied the dwarf. "You can bid on this one." He shook the chain holding the boy. "What's your offer?"

Unsure of the going rate of a slave in this market, Arthur blurted out a price of one thousand gold pieces. Both dwarves' eyes widened in stunned amazement. Before the second one could speak, the armored one gestured to Arthur. "Show me the money," he said suspiciously.

Arthur stepped forward, flanked by the invisible Erf. As the gnome positioned himself behind the dwarf, the room was filled with the sound of a deep, bone-chilling howl. Turning quickly, Erf found himself under attack by a horrible cross between a mastiff hound and a porcupine. The porcu-dog leapt at the gnome, who sidestepped just at the last second. Before Arthur could react, the dwarf whipped out his battle axe and swung. The elf desperately dodged, but the axe struck true, and the elf fell, unable to stand.

Even as the blow was struck, the rest of the party rushed forward to engage the dwarf. The second dwarf muttered a few words in an infernal tongue and vanished from their sight. Their attention focused on the axe-wielding dwarf, they paid no mind to the would-be slave buyer. Erf threw a dagger at the porcu-dog, dispelling his invisibility but striking the hound on the flank. The howling beast shrugged off the dagger and struck, nipping the gnome and nearly taking his arm off.

Meanwhile, Alexandria and the dwarf faced off in a battle of axes. The dwarf was immensely strong, and his axe was unusually sharp. Jax was able to strike the dwarf, but the powerful foe struck back, nearly killing the paladin with a single blow. Yaervan was the next to strike at the dwarf, and he, too, was nearly struck down in return. Alexandria could not find a way past the dwarf's defenses, but struggled gamely to keep him occupied so as to keep him from finishing off her allies.

Erf found himself under assault from the porcu-dog as his allies were too busy with the dwarf. Gandolf, who had held back, now rushed forward as the battle moved away from the fallen elf, and handed him the last healing potion they had. The draught restored the elf, who struggled to his feet and turned to help the gnome. The howler then fired some of its quills at the gnome, who barely avoided being struck.

The bigger battle raged on as the dwarf got through Alexandria's defenses with a mighty blow. Staggering, she kept to her feet and finally found a hole in the dwarf's defense, returning his blow with one that, while it was not as strong as his, nevertheless found its way through his armor and bit into his flesh. The other warriors did their best to help her, but the dwarf was equal to all three of them.

The howler sensed Arthur's approach and turned to leap at him. Thinking quickly, the elf set his spear on the ground and met the beast's leaping charge, piercing it in the chest. The shocking blow caused the creature to miss the elf with its ferocious jaws, and Gandolf peppered it with daggers, proving to be surprisingly accurate as he whittled away at the creature.

Then, they heard the sound of booted feet, and a quartet of hobgoblins entered the room from where the party had come. Assessing the situation, they threw javelins at the paladin and the half-elf. Their aim proved to be inadequate, although the sudden reinforcements made their situation even more desperate.

Reluctantly, the injured Yaervan and Jax backed away from the dwarf and rushed toward the hobgoblins, leaving Alexandria to face the dwarf alone. The dwarf grinned in savage anticipation and renewed his assault. Bleeding but defiant, Alexandria fought on, holding her own against the mighty dwarf. She struck another blow, this one strong enough to stagger her opponent, and dodged his response before nearly slipping on a pool of blood.

Out of weapons, Erf quickly moved to the post where three of the children were still chained, feverishly working to pick the locks and free them. He was successful on the first attempt, freeing the dwarven boy. But before he could do anything else, three more hobgoblins entered the room from the opposite door, surrounding the party.

Then, there was a flash of bright light, and in the midst of the group hovered a creature out of nightmare: A beholder, its baleful eyes staring at the combatants. Even the dwarf took a step back in fear as the beholder scanned the room. In a guttural voice, it spoke.

"I have come for Terrem Kharatys. That boy should not have been taken from Cauldron. I intend to see that he is safely returned to his orphanage. You can keep the others. They are of no consequence. Come, Terrem – you will be safe with me."

The boy, who had been held by the dwarf, slowly stepped toward the creature. Behind it, a woman veiled to hide her face stood in a shimmering haze. She tossed a small sack to the floor as the beholder spoke again: "This will be sufficient payment for your troubles, Kazmojen. Dispense with these others as you will, and do not return to Cauldron's orphans again."

With that, the trio disappeared in a flash of teleportation magic, and the combatants all hesitated for a moment before resuming the desperate fight. Alexandria and the dwarf continued their fight, and though the dwarf was stronger and more experienced than she, the wounds he had received from the half-elf and the paladin had taken their toll, and Alexandria finally got through the last of his defenses and brought him down. Meanwhile, Arthur Morgan and Gandolf finished off the howler, the elf suffering a few more scratches in the process.

The remaining hobgoblins renewed their assault on the weakened party, until suddenly a new factor appeared behind them: A pair of half-elves slipped into the room and attacked them from behind, striking down two of them before they had noticed their presence. With the odds shifted again, and fresh enemies in the room, the remaining hobgoblins threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The half-elves introduced themselves as Fario and Fellian. Gandolf recognized their names as the investigators hired by the Lord Mayor, which they quickly affirmed. Finding a set of keys on the body of the dwarf, the party was able to free the remaining three children. They explained that they had been tracking the slavers' movements, but had not yet discovered Jzadirune. It wasn't until Ruphus returned with the first three prisoners that they were able to find the entrance. Accompanied by the cleric, they descended into the gnomish enclave and through the secret door to the elevator, arriving just in time to assist against the remaining hobgoblins.

One of the children asked if the party was going to free the other prisoners. Learning that they were being held in the western cells, the adventurers quickly went through the door and down the hall, leaving Fario and Fellian behind to guard the hobgoblin prisoners. Searching the southern hall, they found a cell block in which four more townsfolk were being held. Further seraching led to the discovery of a torture chamber in which another prisoner, an older woman, was suffering under the ministrations of a one-armed hobgoblin. He was quickly dispatched, and the woman released. She saw her walking stick in Arthur's possession, and upon receiving it back, she unscrewed the top and pulled out a small vial. Drinking it, she instantly shed some of the wounds she had received at the hobgoblin's hands. Erf muttered that he wished he had known the potion was there, but very quietly.

The woman introduced herself as Coryston Pike, a former adventurer who had been captured a few weeks earlier. She also informed them that there were a few other prisoners in the forge and the kitchen. Upon learning that the forge prisoners had been freed, she grabbed the hobgoblin's sword and led the party to the kitchens, where they found another townsman working as the dwarf's personal cook. The three goblins that accompanied him instantly surrendered at the sight of the battered but determined adventurers, and before long, the group was returning to the city, prisoners and freed kidnappees in tow.

Upon their return, they met Corporal Skylar Krewis, who had been sent to Keygan's Locks with a small patrol in hopes of joining the party below. They greeted him and turned over the prisoners and the freed slaves to the guards, then went back to the Temple of Diulanna to report back to Jenya.

The priestess was greatly pleased at their success, and informed them that Terrem, one of the children, had already returned to the orphanage, appearing on the front doorstep a short time earlier and seemingly none the worse for wear. With the return of the other children, she paid them the promised reward and said that she looked forward to working with them again in the future.

The party split up at that point; Alexandria, Arthur and Erf went to Skie's Treasury, a shop where they could get some of their magic identified and even purchase a few magical trinkets. Upon learning that the potion Erf wanted identified did not come from Jzadirune, she readily agreed to test it and inform him of its nature in the morning. Arthur purchased a magical arrow and a scroll that she had on display, using some of the treasure they had recovered from the dwarven stronghold.

The next day, the entire party received individual invitations to meet with one of the town's nobles: Lord Vhalantru, an elf who stood high in the city's political hierarchy. On the way there, Erf stopped at Skie's Treasury and learned that the potion he had found was in fact a potion of extra-healing. She offered to take the potion instead of charging him for the identification, but he paid the fee without complaint.

At Lord Vhalantru's estate, which was only a few houses away from Alexandria's home at the top of the cauldron's bowl, the six adventurers were brought into the elf's presence. He greeted them warmly, and informed them that as one of the Lord Mayor's advisors, he was always on the lookout for adventurers who showed promise and who would be helpful in dealing with the city's specialized needs. The meeting was brief, but Alexandria and Vhalantru got along very well.

And with that, the adventure was over, the party going their separate ways for the time being. Gandolf returned to the Bluewater Academy to continue his training, while Jax went to the Temple of Thor to report to his superiors. The rest of the party returned home, except for Arthur, who was staying at the Tipped Tankard most of the time.

The campaign continues in two weeks' time.

Episode 4: Into the Malachite Fortress (conclusion)

The party pushed through the pivoting secret door into a short, angled hallway. At the end were two doors. After a brief discussion, the party split into two groups to investigate both doors at the same time. Alexandria, Erf and Jax took the southern door, while Arthur, Yaervan and Gandolf took the western one.

The southern trio found a guard room with four alert hobgoblins waiting for them. The hobgoblins were tough and ready, but no match for the three adventurers as Jax and Alexandria quickly dealt with them. Saving his final spell for later, Erf contributed with a carefully-aimed dagger that struck one of the hobgoblins down.

Meanwhile, the other group found what was basically a bedroom/trophy room, with skins and skulls decorating the walls and the chair made of monster bones. A search of the room and a judicious use of the detection wand allowed them to find a secret door in this room as well, one that led to a room filled with treasure: Three chests, three casks, a heap of armor, a gong, two shields holding coins, a bowl of gems, a horn, and a bejeweled walking stick. Eagerly the trio began looting the place, but were suddenly confronted by the gong, which shapeshifted and struck at them with pseudopods. Arthur was struck with a powerful blow and knocked unconscious. Gandolf immediately turned and ran, leaving Yaervan to face the mimic alone.

The half-elf was up to the challenge, striking hard and fast while dodging to the best of his ability. However, his ability was not quite enough as he took several blows from the vicious mimic. Nevertheless, he gave as good as he got, dealing the monster grievous wounds of its own. Still, the outcome was inevitable...until Gandolf returned with the other group in tow. Jax wasted no time in slicing the mimic down with his bardiche as Yaervan staggered back, barely conscious.

The group rested a few moments, reviving Arthur with one of their few remaining healing potions and giving Yaervan one as well. Battered and beaten, the adventurers nevertheless resolved to continue on. They searched the treasure room, looting what they could, and found a crumpled letter addressed to 'Kazmojen', warning him to not get too enamored of his thus-far successful operation lest he draw the attention of do-gooders and assorted adventurers looking to rescue the many slaves. The letter was signed only with a kingfisher symbol, which Alexandria recognized as representing Kingfisher Sendings in the town of Kingfisher Hollow outside of Cauldron.

Pressing on, the group returned to the room with the hobgoblin guards, in which they found another door. Through it, they entered a long corridor, flanked by a pair of dwarven statues, male and female. Halfway down the corridor, they encountered a bridge over dark water that led back to the east, ending in a door. Consulting the map they had been making, they realized that it most likely led to the room they had been unable to breach after fighting the hallway full of hobgoblins. Taking stock of their situation, they grimly decided to press on, as Yaervan and Jax prepared to break through the door.

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To be concluded this weekend!

Episode 4: Into the Malachite Fortress (continued)

Pushing through the double-doors, the party found themselves in a wide, angled hallway. As Jax stepped around the corner, he spotted two more of the ugly hobgoblins at the other end, flanking another set of double doors. One of them banged on the door and shouted 'Croleks!', which Yaervan translated as 'Intruders!'. The hobgoblins then raised their bows, and seeing no point in attempting to negotiate, the party returned fire.

One of the hobgoblins cursed as his bowstring snapped, but the other one struck Yaervan in the arm. Alexandria and Jax rushed forward to engage them in melee, but the hobgoblins both pulled levers by the doors, and two pit traps opened up beneath the adventurers' feet. Jax was fast enough to avoid the first one, but tumbled into the second. Alexandria, a few steps behind, fell helplessly into the first pit. Yaervan skidded to a halt before the first pit even as Arthur shot at one of the hobgoblins with his own bow. Gandolf responded with another missile from his wand, while Ruphus used his sling. Erf hung back, unable to throw his daggers far enough to reach the hobgoblins, waiting for the opportune moment to cast a spell.

As Yaervan sought a way around the pits, four more hobgoblins came into view from the left-hand corridor, throwing javelins into the pits at the trapped party members. Alexandria deflected one of the javelins with her shield, but the second one sliced into her leg. Jax fared better, using his bardiche to knock one of the javelins away and ducking under the second one.

Throwing caution to the wind, Yaervan took a short, running leap over the pit, landing with such agility that he was able to strike at one of the hobgoblins. [Natural 20 on his roll to jump the pit; I gave him the bonus.] His sword quickly cut down the surprised hobgoblin, leaving him facing three by himself. Still under fire from the hobgoblin at the far end of the hall, Yaervan felt another arrow tear into the flesh of his arm. Ignoring the pain, he continued his struggle against the trio of enemies.

Then, there were two remaining, as a crossbow bolt came flying out of the pit and pierced one of the hobgoblins through the chest. Alexandria's shout of satisfaction followed the bolt, and she reloaded as quickly as she could. Jax, without any missile weapons of his own, was helpless in the pit. Arthur and Ruphus killed another hobgoblin, leaving Yaervan to face just a single enemy in between the two pits.

The second guard hobgoblin then finished restringing his bow. But before the pair could resume their firing, Erf cast a spell from the new book he had found: Phantasmal force. Suddenly, a wall appeared between the pits and the two hobgoblin archers, obscuring their view and preventing them from firing on Yaervan. Without the distraction of the archers, the half-elf was easily able to dispatch the single remaining opponent. He then reached down to grab the haft of Jax's bardiche, pulling him out of the pit while Arthur Morgan did the same for Alexandria. Just in time, as the pit lids suddenly closed up beneath them.

A moment later, the two hobgoblin archers came through the illusory wall, their swords drawn.  However, now faced with four determined warriors, they quickly fell beneath their weapons. Taking a moment to catch their breath, the party surveyed the carnage: Six dead hobgoblin guards, with their own wounds being relatively minor.

As Erf released his spell and the wall dissipated, the party now moved quickly to the double doors. However, these were securely barred from the other side, with no way to open them from this side. The party then went to some of the other doors they had seen, hoping to find another way through. Instead, they found a couple of empty bedrooms, including one with a large fire beetle trapped in one of the ceiling cages that gave off a cold, orange light.

They also found a barracks room where the four hobgoblins had clearly been staying; it was a dwarf-sized barracks, which meant the beds were too small for the hobgoblins to sleep comfortably. There was some brief speculation that the children might have been kept here, but there was no sign of their presence.

Across the hall from the barracks was another room. Just as Jax opened it up to investigate, the door at the end of the hall opened up, and two more hobgoblins came through, catching the party by surprise. Jax was struck down by two swords, his life's blood draining out rapidly. Only a rapidly-cast healing spell from Ruphus saved his life. Meanwhile, Yaervan, Alexandria and Morgan took the fight to the two hobgoblins, but to their surprise they were attacked from the side as well, as two demonic blobs of flesh came from the door Jax had opened. The hobgoblins proved to be easily dispatched, but the blobs were far more difficult, as the wounds they suffered began to heal instantly. Fortunately, Alexandria's axe and Gandolf's wand were up to the challenge, although Gandolf felt the wand disintegrate in his hands as he drained it of the last of its magical power.

Being (as they believed) so close to their goal, the party decided against resting, instead choosing to offer Jax what healing they could so he could get back on his feet. Unsteady but determined, he took his place in line and nodded grimly as the party investigated the room with the blobs. There they found a locked chest which proved impossible for Erf to open, as well as a bed and modest furnishings. There were also two fire beetles providing light above their heads, which cast a demonic glare throughout the room.

Ready to press on, the party went through the door through which the hobgoblins had ambushed them. There they found a forge with three shackled slaves, as well as four hobgoblin guards and three goblins working alongside the slaves. The goblins grabbed up their swords as the party stormed in, and before any of the goblinoids could respond, three of the hobgoblins were dead. The fourth was the next to fall, and the goblins threw down their weapons and cowered in a corner. Turning their attention to the three slaves, the party discovered they were kidnappees from Cauldron. One of them, Sondor Ironhold, said that her husband had been sold four weeks ago and had been taken into the Underdark, never to be seen again. Arthur Morgan, recalled one of the treasures they had found in Jzadirune, and pulled out a bracelet engraved with the dwarf's name. She accepted it gratefully as a memento of her lost husband.

Another slave, a halfling named Maple, informed the rescuers that there were many other kidnappees held in another part of the complex. She told them of a secret door that led to that part of the Malachite Fortress, and asked that the three of them be returned to Cauldron immediately. Unwilling to abandon any other slaves to their fate, the party refused to leave, but agreed that one of their number would accompany the three to the surface and Keygan's shop, where they could then go to speak to the authorities before returning home. Ruphus volunteered to go, casting his final healing spell on Alexandria before wishing the party good fortune and bringing the slaves back to the elevator.

To be continued...

Episode 4: Into the Malachite Fortress

 After a hiatus last weekend due to illnesses, we resumed our adventure today. We were still missing a couple of players, but we pressed on. I was wondering if we'd actually complete the adventure today, but it worked out that we had to cut things short, so naturally we are at a climactic point.

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At the end of the last episode, the party had retrieved and recovered Keygan's nephew (in the form of a rat), and brought him back to the surface. Having been gone three days, Jenya was both surprised and pleased at their return. She had feared that the party might have been captured or killed in Jzadirune, but their return was very welcome even though they had not yet located the children. The information received from the friendly mimic was very encouraging, and the party was given the opportunity to rest and recover at the Temple of Duilanna at no charge. As they did so, Jenya, in collaboration with a local merchant of magical repute named Skie, was able to identify the various treasures they had recovered, including a couple of wands and several potions.

[DM's note: I did this to help streamline play; I know that in 1st edition it's much tougher to ID items, but these are new players and I want to give them an opportunity to get back into the story right away without worrying about item testing and such. Also, after XPs were distributed, Alexandria and Yaervan had both leveled up, with Jax not far behind them.]

In the morning, refreshed and ready to go, the party returned to the depths of Jazdirune, hoping to find a way past the final gear door that led to their goal. It was one for which they still lacked a key, and they were concerned about the potential for traps therein.

However, their fears were for naught, as Arthur spotted something on the way down that had escaped his notice on their prior visit: On the second landing of the staircase leading into Jzadirune, there was a hidden door. Opening it, they realized that this short secret passage likely led to the very room they were trying to reach. Eagerly, they searched for another door without success. However, one of the wands they had recovered in Jzadirune was made for just this purpose, as it was capable of detecting both traps and secret doors. Arthur, possessing the wand, used it for the first time, and they were rewarded with a glowing outline of a door that did indeed lead into the room they were seeking.

Before they rushed through, however, Erf the gnome cautioned them that this seemed too easy, and he carefully examined the door for any traps. His sharp eyes spotted a slightly discolored line on the floor, and he realized that he was standing on a trap door. Reasoning that it hadn't opened yet, he surmised that opening the door would cause the trap door to fall away. The party spent a few minutes debating how to get past this final obstacle, until Gandolf suggested that they simply return up to the city and buy some planks of wood to lay over the trap door.

This last thing accomplished, Yaervan and Jax pushed on the heavy, pivoting stone door together, forcing it open. Their efforts were rewarded with a pair of javelins being launched at they by the two hobgoblin guards within. Yaervan was struck, but shrugged off the blow and returned the hobgoblin's blow with one of his own, mortally wounding it. Jax was equal to the task of dispatching the second one, and the party now found themselves in what appeared to be a room-sized elevator.

Pulling the lever on the wall (after Erf's inspection to determine there were no traps present), the party began to descend rapidly into the darkness below. As they reached the end of their vertical journey, they found themselves in a room no longer walled with the hewn stone of Jzadirune, but by walls covered with pure malachite.

Opening the single door in this room, the party found themselves in a large, vaulted hallway in which stood a strange sculpture that resembled modern art produced by a deranged mind. They quickly discovered that the sculpture was actually alive when it attacked, striking Jax and sending him spinning to the floor. The stony creature proved stubbornly resistant to their weapons, but they soon found a vulnerable spot as Alexandria finally shattered it with a blow from her axe.

Before they could regroup after the brief but intense battle, a door in the wall opened up, revealing a huge, filthy ogre that bared its fangs in a hideous grin as it said, 'More carrion for my larder! Very nice.'

With their weapons still drawn, the party prepared to face off with the horrible monster. But Erf quickly stepped up and blasted it with a magical color spray, stunning it momentarily and allowing the party's warriors to quickly strike down the creature before it could recover and attack them.

Searching the room the ogre had come from, they found a treasure-filled chest in a room that looked like a shrine to absolute filth. While profitable, there was no exit from the room other than the one they had come through, and they saw no other doors here.

Reasoning from the room's shape that there must be another secret door in one of the corners, they quickly searched it and were rewarded for their efforts. This door opened into a large, square room in which stood a tall, majestic statue of a dwarf. There were also four hobgoblin guards standing before two sets of double doors, and the battle was joined.

Gandolf used his own newly-acquired wand liberally, spraying magic missiles at the hobgoblins as the opportunity presented itself. The rest of the party were more than equal to the challenge of the hobgoblins, taking them down in short order.

Looking around the room, they decided to look at the doors to the northwest, which were barred shut. Jax and Yaervan easily lifted the heavy iron bar, and the doors slid open with only a little effort on their part. On the other side, they found a bridge over a water-filled chasm, which lead to a rough, natural cavern from which a tunnel led steadily downward.

Since this was obviously not part of the fortress itself, they returned to the dwarf statue room and prepared to try the other set of double doors.

To be continued...

Sleeping Dogs: Enterprise Retrospective

I find that Enterprise is at its best when it's tying into the greater Star Trek universe. I mean, obviously every episode has connections thanks to having a Vulcan on the bridge, but I'm talking about the rest of the story, the plotlines that hint at the future that is to come. Sleeping Dogs is the third episode to involve Klingons (after Broken Bow and Unexpected), but the first to truly feature them and give us our first hints at what their culture is like.

Here's the plot synopsis from Wikipedia:

After Enterprise drops out of warp near a gas giant, the crew detects an unexpected power signature and bio-signs in its lower atmosphere. Sub-Commander T'Pol, Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato take a shuttle to investigate and discover a Klingon vessel, Somraw, close to being crushed by the planet's atmosphere. On board, T'Pol finds three dying Klingons on the bridge, and further scans detect residual elements of a carbon dioxide-based neurotoxin. Bu'kaH, a surviving Klingon crewmember, escapes in the away team's shuttlepod. Enterprise traps it, but not before she broadcasts a distress signal. They then attempt to descend to rescue the away-team, but the pressure is too high.

Meanwhile, Sato finds the captain's log, which states that the ship was damaged in a skirmish with the Xarantine, and that the Klingon captain ordered his ship into the gas giant's atmosphere to effect repairs. Sato also locates the port fusion-injector on a schematic, and the away team make their way to Engineering to attempt repairs. On board Enterprise, Captain Archer talks to Bu'kaH in Sickbay. Doctor Phlox learns that the toxin was bonded to a molecule in Xarantine ale, which Bu'kaH confirms was part of their spoils. He convinces her to help them, citing the dishonourable deaths of her crew-mates.

On the Somraw, Reed uses shock-waves from photon torpedoes in an attempt to raise the ship and lower the hull-pressure. This allows Archer and Bu'kaH, in a reinforced shuttlepod, to reach them. Archer tells Bu'kaH that his team risked their lives for her ship, and that they are not leaving until it is safe. Archer arrives back on Enterprise just as the recovered Somraw hails. The now-revived captain orders Archer to surrender as punishment for violating his ship. Archer faces him down, noting that his ship is damaged and freshly out of torpedoes. Powerless to argue, the Klingon snarls and ends the transmission.

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It's important to note that these Klingons look like TNG-era Klingons, not TOS-era Klingons. This was a question that people had been debating since the first Star Trek movie back in 1979, which was the first appearance of the ridged forehead version. Speculation got even more intense when DS9 did the TOS crossover episode with the Tribbles, in which Worf states that the Klingons don't discuss how older Klingons look the way they did. It took the Enterprise series to finally answer that question, but it won't be answered until Season Four.

In the meantime, we meet the Klingons of the 22nd century, and they are a very ornery bunch. Crude, hot-tempered, and always ready for a fight, they make quite an impression in the Enterprise era. And this episode is the first real chance to see how these earlier Klingons are compared to what they would eventually become in Worf's time.

So, how is the episode? Quite good, actually. The initial mystery of just what happened to the ship is good, and the problem of getting them out of the planet's atmosphere before it crushes is worthy of this 'primitive' Starfleet era. The technobabble of later eras still exists in the 22nd century, but it's much less random and feels more believable. And lacking the technological prowess of even Kirk's time, Archer's crew is forced to work within the limits of not only their technology, but that of the Klingon scout ship as well. And while the Klingons are great at weapons, the rest of their tech is actually a bit lower-level than that of the Enterprise.

Archer's moment of realization when he finally accepts that he can't be so human around Klingons is worth mentioning. He tried to persuade Bu'kaH to help in his usual style, which of course a Klingon would perceive as nothing but contemptible weakness. It's when he finally starts to speak her language (figuratively; Hoshi is on the Klingon ship and unable to translate) that he gets through to her and she agrees to help prevent the dishonorable deaths of the entire Klingon crew. It's an important moment for Archer, learning that aliens really don't think the way humans do.

I'm going to rate this episode a 7 out of 10. Better would come, particularly in the Klingon part of the Star Trek protoverse, but this is an excellent beginning. Next time, however, we get back to the nascent building blocks of the eventual Federation. I can't wait.

Episode 3: Jzadirune's Darkness (Conclusion)

After resting and recuperating, the party left the illusory forest and headed back north to the room where they had fought the floating jellyfish. There was another wall blocking the other exit to the room, and they broke it down to explore the northwest corner of the enclave. They found themselves in a corridor with several large machines. Jax pulled the lever on one of them, and the machine began to whirr and move, although they saw nothing happening nearby. Moving along, they came to a room in which another automaton was stationed, motionless. In the ceiling were a pair of fans, one of which was moving. the party realized that the machines in the hallway controlled these fans.

Under a large tarpaulin in the center of this room, they found a deactivated automaton in working condition. Written on it were some gnomish words that Erf identified as command words to control the automaton. He was right, although the automaton was limited in its capabilities. Erf climbed atop the automaton and ordered it to head into one of the tunnels it had already dug out. Following it, they came to a room filled with fog. Jax and Gandolf went back through the tunnel to the corridor with the fan machinery, and turned all of them on. By the time they got back to the foggy room, the fan was already working to disperse the mist. As it dissipated, the room was revealed to be an old library, now emptied of any valuables. It also held a quartet of enormous centipedes which attacked with ravenous hunger as the party explored. The centipedes were no match for the party's warriors, and no one was injured in the brief battle.

They returned to the automaton room and went down a flight of stairs; the automaton couldn't descend, so Erf deactivated it and left it behind. Following the stairs, they came to another 'Z' door, which opened easily with their key. Inside they found a workship for the construction of automatons, and a half-built automaton, long since abandoned and nonfunctional. But there was something else in this room, a creature that looked like a 'tall one' covered in rags. The creature tried to run past them into one of the automaton tunnels, but its way was blocked, and the battle was fierce. The creature was surprisingly tough, but it fell to Alexandria's axe. As it did, the rags that covered it suddenly separated from the tall one, gathered themselves together and flung themselves toward Jax. The paladin dodged the attack, and his bardiche cut into the mass of threads with razor sharpness. before long, the rags stopped moving.

Having explored almost the entire complex, the party returned to the forested room where they sought to enter the one area they had not yet encountered. An 'N' door blocked the way, but Erf was able to overcome it. He and Jax were once again the targets of the door's trap: a cloud of poisonous mist that made them dizzy, but both of them were able to hold their breaths and escape the cloud before it affected them any further.

Inside, the party saw empty weapon racks and a solitary chest, atop of which was a cage holding a rat. The rat squeaked excitedly as the party entered, and Ruphus observed that the rat was likely Keygan's nephew, captured and polymorphed into his current form. Eagerly, the party tried to take the cage, but as they approached the front of the chest split open into a toothy grin, addressing them in a blend of the Dwarven and Gnomish tongues. Erf, Arthur Morgan, and Yaervan were able to understand the talking chest (which Erf correctly identified as a mimic). After bribing the mimic with their remaining rations, Yaervan translated as Erf and Arthur Morgan conversed with the friendly creature. They learned that the 'tall ones' were called skulks, and were the ones who raided the surface for slaves, handing them off to hobgoblins working for a slaver named Kazmojen.

The skulks worked with the 'dark ones', the shadowy 'short ones' that the party had encountered in the enclave, under the direction of someone called Yuathyb. Ruphus identified Yuathyb as the tall, shadowy figure they had slain the day before. Finally, the mimic told them that he had once had a companion, a meaner, larger mimic that had been hired by Kazmojen to go down into the Malachite Fortress and guard the slaver's treasure. The talkative mimic also told the party that the way to the Malachite Fortress was just beyond the door behind him.

A quick discussion ensued, and the party agreed to take the nephew-rat back to the surface and report what they had discovered the Jenya. Hopefully, she would be able to break the enchantment on the young gnome-rat and return him to his proper form. After that, they would return and go down to the Malachite Fortress, continuing their search for the missing children whose lives hung in the balance.

As they began the return journey, Erf was finally able to unlock the mysterious book discovered under the theater stage. To his delight, it was a spellbook of gnomish design, and he eagerly perused its contents as he learned the new magics within. These new spells would serve him well in the unknown realm of the Malachite Fortress...

The next episode will be in two weeks' time. I hope you're enjoying the adventure!

Episode 3: Jzadirune's Darkness (continued)

Taking a few moments to allow Erf to recover from his ordeal, the party continued on south. Although their map showed no door or wall at the end, there was indeed a stone wall blocking their progress. There were also a couple of gear doors, and Erf attempted to pick the eastern 'R' door. This time, he was successful, and as the door slid open, a trio of enormous rats attacked. Alexandria panicked at the sight, having a fear of rats, and accidentally fell into the wall at the end of the corridor...and through it, disappearing from sight. While the rest of the party fought off the rats, Jax followed Alexandria through the wall, which turned out to be an illusion. Beyond it, they found a glowing map of Jzadirune that matched the one they had received from Keygan.

Outside, the rats were quickly dispatched, and the party joined Alexandria and Jax in the map room. There were two more gear doors, and since they had the 'Z' key, they opened the eastern door. This led them into a corridor which in turn led to a large hall, lit with dancing lights that floated near the ceiling. This hall included a freshwater pool, but they found nothing of interest within. Continuing on to the west, they found a room that looked like a theater, and in fact it was as an illusion began to show a play of an old gnomish fairy tale. Soon realizing the illusory nature of the show, the party explored the theater and found a trap door on the stage. Arthur Morgan was the first to descend, and found himself under attack from a creature with very long arms and horrible fangs. The crawlspace beneath the stage was too low for anyone, even Erf, to stand up straight, and in these cramped quarters it was difficult to fight the creature. Fortunately, even as the creature began to strangle the elf, Alexandria descended and fired her crossbow, striking the creature with sure accuracy and causing it to loosen its grip on the elf. It was not long before the creature was dispatched, and the party found a chest of treasure, including a locked book and another key, this one with a 'J' rune on it.

Now with three keys in their possession, the party had more options; leaving the theater, they found a 'J' door which opened easily to their key. in here was an abandoned art gallery, and in a secret room near the entrance they found several valuable paintings which they carried with them. They returned to the large hallway, hoping to pass into an area they had been unable to reach earlier. On their way through the hall, however, they were ambushed by no fewer than four of the 'tall ones'. Battle-tested and hardened by their experiences, the party were able to overcome the ambushers, though not without some injuries of their own. Yaervan and Jax both suffered from stab wounds, though neither was yet unable to continue.

Heading east from the southern end of the hall, the party climbed a flight of stairs leading to an octagonal room on the map. At the top of the stairs, Yaervan spotted a hidden door, and determined that it could be opened by turning a torch sconce. However, he turned it the wrong way...and the landing at the top of the stairs flipped up, sending him tumbling down the stairs and back down to the hall. Bruised and battered, he tried again, and this time was successful in opening the door. Inside, they found the remains of an eight-foot long green worm with multiple tentacles and legs. Investigating the body, they found two small coffers had been hidden inside, containing some treasure. Finding little else of value, they continued on toward the octagonal room.

This room turned out to be a bathing chamber, with a steady bubbling of water pouring into a large basin. Hanging above the bath was a mass of webs and a webbed corpse hanging down. Investigating it, Jax peered into the water, only to be suddenly attacked by a huge spider that leapt, completely dry, out of the tub. Before he could react, the spider had bitten into him, and he felt the deadly poison coursing through his veins. His companions immediately went to his rescue, striking down the spider as swiftly as possible, but it was too late; the spider had done its work. In desperation, Ruphus prayed to Diulanna for succor, and force-fed some vile-tasting herbs to the paladin.

The herbs' effect was swift, and Jax soon coughed up both blood and mucus. Terribly weak and barely alive, the paladin survived only through the judicious application of one of their few remaining healing potions. Unable to do anything else and needing rest, the party brought Jax to the room with the illusory forest, where they camped out and gave Ruphus a chance to tend to the paladin's needs.

To be continued...

Episode 3: Jzadirune's Darkness

Back to the game today, and here's what went down:

As they looked around the room full of glass shards, Arthur Morgan spotted the outline of a door on one of the walls. Curious, he went to examine it. A shouted warning from Ruphus warned him, and he ducked aside as a nearly-invisible creature cloaked in shadows tried to stab him from behind. A second, smaller creature also attacked, and the party found themselves hard-pressed against these foes, enemies that were almost impossible to see and just as difficult to hit. The battle was fierce, but ended with a victory as the two creatures of darkness fell beneath their blades. On the larger creature's body, they found a couple of unidentified potions, as well as some coins...and another key to the gear doors (this one a 'D').

After the battle was over, the party investigated the strange door, eventually finding the way to open it and discovering a small treasure hoard. A suit of gnomish armor filled with silver coins, and an urn with a mix of coins and jewelry was their reward, the first significant treasure they had found thus far.

They continued exploring northward, finding an empty forge before exploring a new section. They came upon a makeshift wall, not impossible to break down but sturdy and solid. After a few minutes' effort, they came to a large room set up like a clockwork factory. A bright light hung suspended in the ceiling, and two balconies beckoned them onward. Jax the paladin went up one flight of stairs, and was rewarded for his efforts by being attacked by a horrible, floating jellyfish-like creature with a huge beak. The creature's tentacles stung him, but he shook off the momentary paralysis and tried to fight back despite his wounds. The rest of the group attacked with missile weapons, trying to buy time for Jax to escape. Unfortunately, he was unable to do so in time, and the creature hungrily bit into his flesh.

All seemed lost, but Gandolf launched a magic missile at the creature, and a well-placed arrow from Arthur Morgan's bow caught the creature right between the eyes. Rushing to the fallen paladin's aid, the elf poured a potion of healing down his throat, reviving him before his soul had departed this mortal coil.

Cautiously, they continued to explore the room, and Alexandria discovered the bones of a fallen creature wearing a torn and tattered cloak; a 'short one' that had fallen victim to the creature. It carried little of value, and no clues as to the whereabouts of the missing children. Gathering themselves, the party tried the double doors to the south, which opened easily at their touch. This led them to an atrium of some sort, with the name of the place emblazoned in a mosaic on the ground: Jzadirune.

Across the room was another door, which they easily opened. On the other side, however, Yaervan found himself in a precarious position as the floor suddenly fell beneath him. Only his quick reflexes saved him from falling into a pit. The door of the pit slammed shut, and the party heard the sound of gears shifting and turning beneath their feet. They carefully but quickly picked their way across before the grinding stopped. At the end of the corridor they found another door, this one leading back to the very first room at the base of the stairs leading to Keygan Ghelve's home.

Taking stock of the situation, the party recognized that they had not yet explored the western half of the complex. They headed west down the corridor, and came to a hallway with a series of gear doors, two of which they were able to open with the keys they had discovered. They found nothing of interest or value in these abandoned bedrooms, however. As they approached the southern end of the corridor, the gnome Erf, leading the way, felt the floor suddenly shift under his feet. His desperate lunge for safety and Jax's attempt to grab him and pull him out of harm's way both failed, and the gnome found himself lying at the bottom of a pit with spiked walls, next to a translucent body that had been repeatedly impaled.

Recognizing this sort of trap, he braced himself for what was about to happen. Sure enough, he heard the rumbling of gears even as his companions tried to open the door to free him. As the pit began to tilt, threatening to impale Erf on the spikes, he deftly placed his body in the best position to avoid the deadly spikes. To his own amazement, he succeeded, and as the pit began to tilt back, Jax and Yaervan were finally able to wrench open the trap door. Alexandria lowered a rope, and the terrified gnome was pulled to safety.

To be continued...

Dear Doctor: Enterprise Retrospective

Ah, here we go...the first really controversial episode of Enterprise, the one that introduces the concept of the Prime Directive. Here's the synopsis, per Wikipedia:

Doctor Phlox receives a letter from his Interspecies Medical Exchange counterpart, Doctor Jeremy Lucas, who is serving a term on Denobula. He begins to compose a letter back, describing his experiences with the crew, and the ways in which humans are different. Meanwhile, on the Bridge, the crew are discussing a pre-warp vessel they have encountered. The alien they speak with, a Valakian, begs them to assist with a medical emergency their species is facing. Sub-Commander T'Pol reveals that the Vulcans are unaware of the species, but she agrees with Captain Jonathan Archer to help them. Phlox continues his letter, describing the challenges of treating the disease – with over fifty million lives at stake.

Enterprise arrives at the Valakian homeworld, where they are met by Esaak, the Valakian director of a clinic, and Larr, a Menk orderly. T'Pol, Phlox, Archer, and Ensign Hoshi Sato make a tour of the medical facility. Sato discovers that there is a second lesser-evolved yet unaffected race, the Menk, who live alongside the Valakians. Phlox makes the startling discovery that the Valakians are slowly dying out, not from an easily curable medical condition, but because of a genetic disease which is experiencing an accelerated rate of mutation. He also believes that the answer to a cure may lie in the Menk.

Archer, meanwhile, is debating whether to provide the Valakians with Warp drive, ultimately deciding against it. Upon further investigation, Phlox learns that the Valakians suffer from the illness because their gene pool has reached a "dead end" and that the Menk are undergoing an "awakening process." He also finds that the Valakians have been stifling and underestimating the Menk. He has found a cure, but does not believe it would be ethical to administer. Archer considers how a "Prime Directive" would be helpful, and provides the Valakians with medicine that will diminish the symptoms for a decade, anticipating the Menks' natural evolution and new levels of understanding between them.

****************

Okay...this one is tough. The debate about this episode boils down to this: Did the Enterprise crew, particularly Dr. Phlox, do the right thing in basically leaving the Valakians to die off and be replaced by the Menk? For some, the answer is yes; for me, I would say no. Saying that the Valakians are going to die off anyway because of evolution doesn't preclude the necessity of helping them in the here and now. More to the point, there is no 'Prime Directive' at this point in the Star Trek universe; Archer even laments that there isn't one, meaning he has to make the decision on his own.

And he made the wrong one.

It's fine to theorize about future genetic evolution and such, but in the here and now of the Valakians, millions of them are dying, and Phlox found a cure. And Archer, who in the second episode, Fight or Flight, tells T'Pol that humans have developed of code of behavior, and that code included helping people in need. Suddenly, he's looking for a way out of following that code and condemning an entire species to a slow, painful, genetic death and asserting that it's not humanity's problem. I have a really hard time accepting that, and I know I'm not the only one; this episode was panned and brutally reviewed by several online reviewers when it came out.

I'm not giving this one a numeric ranking; as a stand-alone story, it is pretty good for the most part, right up until the end. And yes, the seeds of the Prime Directive are sown here, but the important thing to remember about the PD is that sometimes it needs to be broken. And if it had existed in this time frame, this was one of those times.

Detroit Rock City

I've never talked about sports on this blog, although I've been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. I fell away from pro sports for a few years due to the infusion of political activism into what was supposed to be escapist entertainment.

I follow a few teams, though. For hockey, of course it's the Montreal Canadiens, the greatest franchise in the sport's history. I grew up in Eastern Canada, and for the first decade of my life the Hockey Night in Canada feature was almost always Montreal. I moved to Ontario in the early 1980s, where suddenly I was exposed to the Maple Leafs all the time. And for those who remember, the Leafs in the 1980s absolutely SUCKED. And I couldn't see the team I wanted to watch, which made things even worse.

In baseball, I'm still a die-hard Montreal Expos fan, but they're not in the league anymore. So, it's the Blue Jays. And it's been a frustrating few years of playoff futility after sky-high expectations.

I don't follow basketball or soccer; for the World Cup, obviously I cheer on Canada, and if the Raptors are doing really well I might catch a few highlights, but basketball really isn't my thing.

Then, there's football...

There are two pro leagues for me to follow: The CFL, and the NFL. In the CFL, I'm going to cheer for either the Montreal Alouettes (who just won the Grey Cup!), or the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. If they're playing each other, it's the Alouettes. The first Grey Cup I remember watching starred Montreal and Edmonton, and it was a blowout (41-6, if I recall correctly), but I spent a few years living in Hamilton and got to catch a few games at the old Ivor Wynne Stadium, so the Ticats are a soft-spot for me.

Then there's the NFL. For the longest time, I was a Steelers fan (and I absolutely loved the Steelers-Cardinals Super Bowl), but after moving to Wallaceburg to be with my Honeybunny, I got a steady dose of the Detroit Lions on the radio, and I started following them quite a bit. I was there for the 0-16 season and the playoff heartbreaks (and all the ridiculous ref calls that cost the Lions at least a dozen games over the years), and I was intrigued at the hiring of the new regime of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell.

And now, after decades of futility and one playoff win in 65 years, the Lions are one win away from making it to their first-ever Super Bowl. We don't have cable or satellite, so I can't watch the games live (I'm not paying for streaming services either), but I do listen to them on radio broadcasts or through YouTubers streaming the game (shout-out to Mr. Tom Grossi of Packast, who is streaming all the games this year). I listened to the Lions-Bucs game yesterday, and while it wasn't quite the same as listening to a radio broadcast, it was exciting enough, and the highlights afterward were sweet to see.

The Lions are a team that has been snake-bitten for decades, and now they are finally overcoming the stigma of being the 'Same Old Lions' that has plagued them for longer than I've been alive. For perspective, Toronto Maple Leafs fans pining for their twelfth Stanley Cup after 55 years of waiting need to remember that the Lions' last championship was ten years earlier (1957). That city has been waiting a LONG time for this, and it's great to see.

Here's wishing the Lions the best in the NFC Championship game, and hopefully they can stun the San Francisco 49ers and do what Detroit's been dying to see for decades.