Spoilers follow for the adventure from the article “Filthy Peasants” from MCDM’s Arcadia issue 9…
Bruna frantically administered first aid to her comrades who had just fallen down the slippery and slimy sloping tunnel. Two of their number had already died, with one having eaten a deadly mushroom after almost drowning while crossing the swift flowing stream outside the cave. Another had gone gibbering mad after looking too closely at the statue of a hideous tentacled creature in the chamber where they’d fought the strange grey monsters of ooze.
Wulf was dazed from the fall, but did his best to help, as Cecie snatched up the lantern that was their only light from the cold hands of another villager who had snapped their neck from the fall.
After long tense minutes, Bruna was able to slow her efforts. Three unconscious but alive after the fall in the slick tunnel. The remaining villagers finally had time to survey the cavern in which they found themselves. The remnants of a smashed wagon and some packages lay scattered about, and in the shadows an injured merchant lay, drawing shallow painful breaths.
“We’re here to rescue you,” whispered Wulf.
“You shouldn’t have come,” hissed the merchant. “The troll will kill you all.”
“We’ll take care of it,” said Bruna, with false bravado that denied the dread she felt. “Did you see where it went?”
“I have no idea,” the merchant said, clutching her broken ribs. “I don’t know where my companions are either.” She lapsed into fevered silence, shivering as she breathed.
Aegilus glanced around at the three passages out of the chamber.
“No use staying put,” he said and headed towards the Northmost opening. He found another large natural chamber with eerily glowing fungi growing around the walls. The boots of a humanoid corpse poked out from the thick fungi on the South wall. Aegilus moved towards the boots to check the figure when a severed arm caught his eye in the fungi. He examined it, spying a ring that looked magical—or at leave very expensive. He plucked the ring off the arm. As he did so, he brushed the fungi. Suddenly two creatures that seemed to be living fungi with tendrils began moving towards him. They were slow though. Pulling out his spear to stab at the creatures, Aegilus shouted towards his companions:
“Monsters! Get in here!”
The group rushed into the chamber, attacking the creatures with whatever they had. Some carried spears, others had better gear they’d taken from their dead comrades, figuring that they no longer needed their weapons. These were no adventurers, merely village folk dispatched by their community to hunt down the troll preying on traveling merchants.
Stabbing and shooting the creatures, the villagers lost another two of their number, but managed to kill them…if one could kill a fungus. Checking the corpse under the fungi they found some silver and a few weapons, along with a spell scroll that Wulf put in his bag.
Retreating to the space with the smashed cart, they huddled fearfully in the darkness with their unconscious friends that they had hidden there, resting for an hour.
Finally, after a few of their friends had woken, groaning, but alive, the villagers continued deeper into the caves. The next chamber was coated in dried blood and gore, and strewn with bones, but held six live goats that bleated and stomped their hoofs.
“Guess we know where the missing livestock went,” said Bruna.
Wulf tried to use the ring he’d found and studied while resting to cast a spell of animal friendship on one of the goats, but it just bleated disdainfully and shook its bearded head, then turned the retreated to the back of the cave.
They returned from that branch and took the last tunnel South, finding themselves in another chamber with a large iron cage, secured by a bent metal bar. Three winged mosquito-like creatures banged at the bars, sucking blood from the three people held within.
“Stirges!” said Raffolk, who had seen such beasts in the woods near the village.
The villagers fought the creatures with all their might, but were unsuccessful until Nicolas hit on of the monsters with the big stick he always carried. It fell dead with a loud thwack. The others were dispatched quickly.
Using the stick as a lever, Nicolas pried the bar securing the cage open, allowing the three surviving merchants to escape toward their friend in the room to the North.
“The troll is just behind those pillars,” said one of the merchants, pointing towards a large natural pillar formed by a stalactite and stalagmite that had grown together. “It took Gerald back there about an hour ago. We heard him scream but haven’t heard anything since.”
The villagers crept forward carefully, splitting to flank the pillar on either side. They found a room illuminated by a fire, with a merchant turning on a spit over it. Bones lay scattered across the floor, and on the South wall lay a tunnel opening deeper that appeared to be blocked by bits of debris. Hunched in front of the fire at a small troll, juices dribbling down its chin as it feasted on the flesh.
Bruna stealthily moved into the room, waiting until her companions were in position, then stabbed the monster in the back. It let out a roar of anger. The villagers unleashed their weapons on the troll, while Hendricks caught the worst of the heavy blows and bites the monster unleashed. But as they wounded it they say the flesh knitting itself back together. Nicolas bravely shoved the monster into its own cooking fire, which seemed to halt the healing, as they piled on the punishment. Finally they struck the final blows, bringing the creature down. They’d defeated the monster, saving their village from ruin and keeping the merchants coming along the trade road.
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