Comparing versions of The Tragedy of Mac Dairncuff
Showing changes between October 31, 2019 at 11:18:31 pm (crossed out) and October 31, 2019 at 11:19:20 pm (underlined)
The next day the company makes it's way stealthily towards the glowering bulk of Harpy Rock, the fisherman leads them to the sea caves and they enter one by one. Hogarth and his gang take the lead, the dangerous, slippery path being reminiscent of the sewers much traversed in his youth. The sea cave narrows into a tunnel which in turn leads to a wide cavern dotted with stalactites. Unbeknownst to the party some of these are in fact carnivorous piercers. These drop from the ceiling causing pandemonium but little damage before being dispatched.
At the end of the cavern stone steps lead up into the darkness. Hogarth calls for daggers and short-swords to be drawn, for close quarters combat in the narrow corridor. Some way on the faint and pleasant sound of women singing drifts over Hogarth and his men, alas some of his company are enchanted by this melodious song. Charmed men press forth, haranguing Hogarth who barely keeps them from barging past. The cry goes forth to stop ears with cloth.Silent discussion is entered (by way of thieves cant) betweenChuwah and Hogath, wherein they discuss leaving the harpies and pressing on, however the lure of treasure becomes too much for these rogues and it is decided to brave the lair.Chuwah forces the fisherman to listen to the harpies so as to use him as human lure. The fisherman replies he is immune to their temptations, having many times braved this path in his youth as a smuggler. A great rusted iron door stands between our party and the harpies song, enchanted men shout and struggle from behind to see these surely beauteous creatures. The door is slowly opened, and at the very moment a man might wriggle through, one does! Only for blood and viscera to spray back into the jostling ranks of warriors. The harpies are engaged and 2 are slain and a third flees to the skies. Vast piles of treasure, decades of tribute to these cruel beasts, are discovered in their clifftop nest. Chuwah turns to the much put-upon fisherman and demands the poor man makes an account of each coin while he continues on ahead. The fisherman replies he can only count to 20 and Chuwah retorts with threats of death.
The corridor ends at a door which is silently entered by Hogath. it is a miserable sight, a cellar packed with pitiful and moaning peasants chained to the walls. A ragged creature shuffles about poking and inspecting the poor wretches. Hogarth attempts to ambush the thing, but is foiled by over excited villagers crying for their salvation. He falls, tumbling with his enemy who is revealed to be a hideous crone who scratches at his face with blackened and broken fingernails. Support arrives from behind only to trip over a decaying body and wound poor Hogarth who lies prone on the ground. More men enter and the woman is finally dispatched. Chewah muses that some prisoners might be afflicted by the plague and should be quickly killed and removed. He calls out to the room they he may heal their illness with magics but the plan backfires as all hopefully cry out their various maladies and agonies in hope of healing.
The company climb a ladder out of the cellar into another corridor.An eerie light emanates from a room of interminable size ahead, a huge cauldron bubbles on a greasy fire. Long shadows occasionally flicker on the corridor walls, but no persons are spied.Fenandez throws oil onto the fire and is rewarded with a screaming crone who staggers down the corridor aflame and shortly filled with arrows. Less amusing is the sickening smoke and smell of burning flesh that boil from the fire... They rush in towards the cauldron and find themselves in a ruined drum tower, only the staircase remains winding around the inside of the wall. The cauldron is lit by the limbs of the dead and inside eyeballs and other organs float on the fatty surface. Half a dozen crones leap out from the shadows screaming bloody murder and from down the stairs rushes Black Angus swinging his claymore. At the very top of the stairs stands Calem muttering some enchantment before disappearing into an open doorway. Battle is joined against the crones, but for those who woke this morning from nightmare another horror awakes. Their very shadows slide from the walls and make battle with them! Black Angus is slept by timely magic and set upon by Chewah and his expert knife-work. The brute awakes spitting blood and enraged for but a moment before hacked to death by by the youth. In an orgy of bloodletting under the balefullight of black magic ritual Chewah turns upon his erstwhile employer, attempting to murder the princeling for precious magical items. Finding it hard going, Chewah shouts for his hirelings and daggers drawn they hack Ewan down as he cries wrathful curses of revenge with his dying breath. With thehurly burly done, the corpses are stripped for valuables, Chewah takes the lack of items on the dead troubadour poorlyand and slips into a black mood. Hogarth tries on the fine wolf cloak, his body grows stronger and more powerful. But his face takes on a canine appearance, his teeth grow longer and his eyes take a yellowish hue. The cloak is cursed but gore-spattered Hogarth cares little and smells keenly the warm blood oozing on the cold stone...
battlement overlooking the grey-green sea,sea but are forced back terror and their camp is looted. The peasants are
