Robert the Rogue is destitute after a terrible failure at a recent robbery so he decides to keep a low profile by using his sneak and mechanism skill sets in a dungeon instead of the town. He hopes to find some treasure, avoid traps and monsters.
Being cautious Robert searches every nook and cranny for traps before searching it for treasure. Almost immediately he discovers a pit-trap and a chest containing 100 gold coins buried under some manky wolf fur. Top marks for the HeroQuest Treasure Deck coming up with the goods!
Excited at the discovery of this booty which is more than he had expected, tempted onward by his greed at the surprising wealth of this dungeon, Robert creeps around the pit into the room beyond where immediately a giant mutant spider pounces on him.
Robert attempts to jump backward over the pit but fails and falls into it. The spider crouches in top of the pit, biting down at him with its terrible mandibles. Robert skewers it with his short-sword and pulls it’s twitching body into the pit before he climbs out.
In the spiders lair is a potion of healing which Robert recognised and drinks, restoring his health.
There is nothing else of interest in that direction so he returns to the entrance area and heads the other way until he reaches a crossroads. At the crossroads he discovers a gem worth 50 gold coins.
Choosing one direction at the crossroads, Robert sneaks into a room where two goblins and a hobgoblin immediately see him.
Robert runs back down the corridor and stabs a goblin as it passes his lurk, chasing him. The other goblin catches up with him and he kills that too.
The hobgoblin is stronger but slower. Robert does not want to fight it but is brave and manages to slay it, taking some injury to himself.
He searches the big room the monsters used as their lair and discovers a large pit trap in front of a weapon rack. The rack contains a heavy sword which he throws into the pit along with the bodies of the monsters he drags in from the tunnel.
There were other tunnels leading from the first so he follows them and discovers a room with three treasure chest and a larger pit, this one is not concealed. In the pit is Alf the Elf.
“Get me out!”
“How much gold do you have?”
“None.”
“Ah, bad luck.”
“You can’t leave me here!”
“Do you have a beautiful sister?”
“What?”
“If I save your life you will owe me a life debt. I will accept the hand in marriage of your beautiful sister. Or daughter. Or mother. Or cousin. Friend. Something. But if you betray me I will kill you and your sister.”
“You... talk true, I will owe you a life debt. I do happen to have a sister yes and being an Elf of course she is beautiful although I do not know if she will be happy to marry you.”
“I’ll grow on her I’m sure. Elves live for centuries don’t you.”
“Yes.”
“Well I’m human I live only for decades. Marrying me is not a life sentence for her but an exciting adventure which will for most of her life become a memory.”
“I’m sure she will see it that way also.”
“Give me your hand. And then you must help me search these treasure chests. The treasure is all mine by the way. I saw them first.”
The chest searched by Alf contains 10 gold coins which Robert allows him to keep. The other contains 50 gold coins which Robert keeps. The third was trapped but Robert was careful to search the chests for traps before opening them.
The two adventurers leave the dungeon together.
PART TWO
On their way to meet Alf the Elf’s gorgeous sister who is promised in marriage to Robert the Rogue, to repay a life debt owed by the elf, they encounter another dungeon. The temptation to explore it is too powerful to ignore.
After some exploration and avoiding some traps, the characters discover the lair of a Fimir, an Orc and a Goblin. The adventurers defeat them and take their treasure; a hatchet of throwing which returns to its owners hand after inflicting damage at a short range. Alf the Elf likes this weapon a lot and is pleased they explored this particular dungeon.
Further into the tunnels they accidentally awaken a living statue who slowly follows them as they run in the opposite direction, miss their turning and end up overhearing two very huge giants arguing. The giants explain their predicament during their conversation.
One of them, Loki, believes they should leave the situation to resolve itself. The other, his brother Thor, believes they should interfere to save the lives of the Human race from utter destruction.
Apparently in two weeks from now, Mother Nature will wreak havoc on the world because the Humans are getting too cocky.
The Gods reveal also they have been banished from the Realm of the Gods to the world and cannot do much to petition the other gods such as their father Odin to help save the Humans or at least calm Mother Nature down.
They mention they would require some hapless Human representative to travel through the Gate of the Underworld to the Realm of Hades to seek his help in the matter. If only they had some hapless Human willing to aid them, the entire species could be saved.
Robert the Rogue decides he doesn’t give a crap about that issue, he certainly doesn’t want to get entangled with Gods and as far as he is concerned if all the other Humans are wiped out it will simply be more booty for him to loot more easily.
Alf the Elf suggests there might be something worth more than that in it for him if he reconsiders.
Robert approaches the Gods and tells them he will help them if they pay him.
The Gods debate this and decide if glory and fame are irrelevant to him perhaps some Coins of the Gods might be of interest. This sounds good to Robert who happily accepts the treasure, fully expecting to ditch the quest as soon as he leaves this dungeon.
The Gods warn him they will occasionally be looking through his eyes to check up on him and if he isn’t doing what he has promised they will seek him out and make him suffer immeasurably.
Robert decides hiding from them will probably be easy since they’re banished from the Realm of the Gods themselves they’re probably idiots. But he doesn’t mention this opinion, instead he accepts the heavenly treasure. Both he and Alf the Elf receive 2 coins of the Gods each.
Meanwhile the living gargoyle is still slowly making its way up the passage somewhere behind them.
TBC...
Thnx for making this dad
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