"The Lone Wizard" or "Saved by a friend from Europe"

[Blackthorn]

It was nearing the end of the Quest for the Spirit Blade and things were not going well. Maybe it was because the heroes were missing some crucial items from previous adventures (or maybe it was just the effect of quest number 13 on the dice this evening), but the only hero left was Castiel, the wizard (controlled by my daughter Amanda). It's never a good thing when the wizard is the only hero left and although he possessed two artifacts, the wizards cloak & staff, he was wounded (two body points) and had used up his healing spells in a vain effort to save his companions. Now there was a cruel, cleaver-wielding orc and a monstrous Chaos Warrior in hot pursuit as he dashed towards the room where the Spirit Blade must certainly be hidden. Casting a Swift Wind spell on himself, Castiel was able to put just enough space between himself and the monsters to evade their blows, but he knew that once he retrieved the Spirit Blade his fate would be sealed as he had no choice but to face his foes in the corridor where the few spells he still possessed would be of little help. Even the Spirit Blade could not save him.

But to Castiel's surprise, the room containing the Spirit Blade was no longer vacant. A warrior from a distant land stood before him, brandishing an enormous sword. The stranger must have sensed that the the wizard was in peril as he immediately offered to lead him to safety in exchange for one hundred gold pieces (I recently purchased a set of Wizards of Morcar men-at-arms figures from a UK eBay seller and printed the matching mercenary cards from The Frozen Horror in order introduce the hireling concept for just such a scenario). After quickly agreeing to the terms and recovering the Spirit Blade, the two adventurers returned to the corridor with the swordsman leading the way. He made quick work of the foul orc and only the lone Chaos Warrior, already weakened from previous combat, stood between them and the path to safety.



Any sense of renewed hope that Castiel may have felt upon the appearance of his new ally soon vanished as the swordsman fell under the Chaos Warrior's massive battleaxe (unlucky dice again: five skulls on a defense roll). Escape was Castiel's only option at this point and a Veil of Mist spell allowed him to slip past the Chaos Warrior who was only a few steps away as Castiel made his desperate getaway (Amanda yelled "base" as she reached the stair tile). Through he now possessed the Spirit Blade, he could only think of the comrades he had left behind. Though new heroes would soon arrive to take their place, their bravery (not to mention their gold, weapons and armor which were now lost) would surely be missed when it was time to return to Barak Tor and once again face the Witch Lord.

[Sjeng]

hahaha, nice read! That's some friendly DM-ing there Clever way to save the day. Did the wizard pay up front? He should have said: If we survive, I'll pay you double! xD

[el_flesh]

IF the wiz didn't pay up front, SHE still has her 100 Au!

It will help to arm new companions.

[Blackthorn]

Unfortunately the mercenary received his pay before his untimely demise, but my daughter felt it was worth 100 gold coins to be ride of that orc once the wizard was was by himself. The real downfall of the heroes was the fact that they stopped searching for treasure after getting clobbered by a wandering Chaos Warrior. Not only did they miss out an any potential healing potions, they also missed recovering the Spirit Blade the first time they were in that room. They were more focused on clearing the dungeon of monsters than the goal of the quest by that point.

- Steve