Adrian: Baldur's Gate

They had barely risen the next morning, and had not yet had time to light their cooking fires, when a trio of soldiers tromped out of the early-morning fog at them. Adrian pulled his blade and faced them square on, Kagain and Coran flanking him. They were good fighters, and lasted long, parrying and blocking. But they lacked the stamina and skill of Adrian's party.

"Throne soldiers," Adrian remarked. "Not mercenary assasins, but honest-to-Gods footsoldier guards. We must be getting close."

They settled down to an egg breakfast, supplemented by what Faldorn called "goodberries", which in fact tasted excellent.

The fog was simply not letting up, when a bridge loomed out of the mists at them. The party retreated a bit, and they sent Safana in to scout.

She slithered off into the enshrouding fog, lurking and slinking. She came back about twenty minutes later. "Two guards on the bridge, and a group of defenders beyond; two fighers and two mages. Look very tough."

"You use the sling?" Faldorn asked Safana.

"I'm out of ammo, but yes," said Safana, midlly startled. "Why?"

Faldorn took two glowing blue rocks out of her leather skins. "The Shadow Archdruid gave these to me," she said. "Aim true, and the bridge wardens will fall without contest."

Safana nodded and took them. Crouching just beyond the edge of the bridge, she waited for the first patrolling guard's pace to bring him in reach.

Waiting...waiting....now! Thwup

The stone struck him upside the head, and, stunned, he fell off the bridge into the water without a cry. There was a loud splash though, as his heavy armor dragged him down.

His comrade raced to the near end of the bridge. "Fardo?" he called, softly, warily.

Thwup

He joined Fardo, falling off into the silver-grey water.

"Well done," said Adrian. Then he gathered the group around him to plan.

The leader of the four enforcers spied three figures in the mist, and had no doubts as to whom it was.

"Draw your daggers and spells, and let's have at 'er!" he cried. "I know it be you, Adrian. We be expectin ye. The Throne paid us double to see you dead. You want good help, ye gotta pay for it, that's what I always say!"

" 'Always kill the mouthy one.' is my preferred saying," Adrian's cold voice drifted back.

"HAW! A good saying! I will turn your head into a puppet and make it say it while we drink large amounts of mead! Life is pretty good, you know?"

"Death is better, for the likes of you," was the response. Then Adrian leaned backward, and a lightning bolt erupted from his chest emerald. The party threw itself flat as one of the warriors and one mage were struck by the bolt. It rebounded and hit both again, leaving the mage already critically wounded. The other summoned kobolds, as the two warriors dashed forward....right into monsters summoned beforehand by Xzar, Edwin, and Viconia. They had flanked the party, and after the party had ducked the rebounding bolt, had moved to the front. Adrian hurled a minor drain at the unwounded mage, while Xzar and Edwin blasted the wounded one with magic missiles before he could finish his own spell. That mage died instantly.

The two warriors began to hack their way through the summoned monsters, but Coran and Kagain were waiting for them. Adrian began sniping the surviving mage with crossbow bolts, while the women slipped around the melee and advanced.

The kobolds were no match for the ladies, and the mage was too busy being shot by Adrian and the mages to defend himself. Staff, hammer, and short sword finished him in less time than it takes to say it.

The captain of the enforcers, who had been hit by the lightning bolt, was next to fall, as Coran's sword bit deeply into him. Kagain's axe struck the other in the knees, taking him down, and summoned creatures swarmed over him.

The fog grew deeper as the day drew on. They searched the outbuildings, finding a few more guards but not much else. The bodies of the enforcers, however, revealed much magical armor. Edwin and Xzar had their own fun looting the mage corpses.

They marched onwards, encountering a few more guards (including a hapless black lotus sniffer), before reaching the main mine entrance loft. The sun had only climbed to about noon or so, but they encamped anyway, to power up on spells and healing.

It was twilight when they climbed into the loft, dispatched the two guards stationed within, and began their descent into the Iron Throne mine.