Adrian: Baldur's Gate

After a hearty breakfast at the Friendly Arm the next morning (Adrian heartily approved of their menu), they moved north of the Arm, passing the place where the party had hunted Hobgoblins. To Adrian, that already seemed a long time ago.

Moving further north, he felt an excitement growing within him. The city, he felt sure, would be his kind of place. Plenty of contracts, plenty of gold, for those with the initiative to sieze them. And Adrian had initiative aplenty.

"Halt!" cried a voice. "Be ye friend or foe?"'

The owner of this presumtive shout was a young man, younger even than Adrian himself, in shining armor and helmet.

"A paladin," said Edwin, sounding as though he was going to throw up.

The paladin's eyes blazed. "Foes! You are foes! I can sense your evil! RAAAA!" he raised a star-bright sword, and charged.

Adrian's crossbow bolt hissed towards him, buried itself in his eye. The paladin dropped dead.

"Made Faldorn look like a sensible person," said Viconia, disgusted.

"Compared to him, she was," said Kagain.

Coran frowned, and looked groundwards, but said nothing.

There came a hissing and bubbling noise to the west, in a grove of trees. Adrian turned to the others and raised an eyebrow.

Viconia looked puzzled. "There is something...familiar about that sound."

"Aye," agreed Kagain, scratching his beard. "Some underground burrower, mayhap."

"Lovely," murmured Safana.

Adrian sighed, and led the way in.

It was a great gaping black hole in the ground. More noises emanated from it.

"Into the lair of darkness," said Coran.

"Oh shut up," said Adrian.

Coran looked at him blankly. "It is a dark lair, is it not?"

Adrian opened his mouth again, then closed it. "I suppose."

He started down.

Viconia and Xzar were the last two. Xzar giggled and grinned. "Six feet under," he chuckled to himself, and went down.

Viconia looked into the blackness, lips pursed. Then she shrugged and followed.