Rolemaster 

Berrak receives heavy healing from Biryn and Lysar, Biryn the rejoins Ulrich and they bash the door down. Discovering that the door simply led to an already explored area, the group begins to feel discouraged. They all head back to the storage room.

Biryn heads into the cells area. Bits of door still hang from torn hinges and as he enters the doorway, he suddenly notices that the minotaur's cell door is open! Just then a fist slams into his jaw and a huge weight bowls him to the floor. He slams into the ground, the creature on his back, pummelling his body through the armour. Party hears the chaos and runs to investigate (apart from the shagged Sira).

Ash shockbolts the creature and it roars in pain - followed by a similar reaction from Biryn the Conductive!

A short battle ensues and the minotaur is cut to pieces - literally with a killing blow from Biryn - didn't take much though, only had 3 hit points.

The two pieces are slung into separate cells and Biryn begins hacking at it's legs and groin. Ferox overhears him muttering something about "playing soggy waybread after lights out is one thing - but I draw the line at an undead dick up my arse!"

Berrak tries to stab the minotaur's head in the eye and gets a fist in the leg for his troubles. He backs away and decides to search the neighbouring cell. Biryn meanwhile steps forward and repels the undead. The tortured beast is finally at peace.

Berrak sized up the next cell. It looked like a bomb when off in there! The cot in this cell is torn into small pieces and the splintered wood is jammed like stakes through the bars. Stains coat the floor and large areas of the walls. Berrak steps inside and begins to investigate the rear wall. A small patch of the dried blood begins to move towards his boot. Suddenly it lunges and attaches itself to his leg. Berrak is suddenly paralysed, the pain is intense as the things crawls up both his legs and he begins to bleed from every pore. He calls for help through gritted teeth as the things crawls up the inside of his thighs - he still cannot move. As Biryn responds he enters the cell with a torch, determined to burn it away.

Ferox looks thoughtful and then notices both the bloody footprints that everyone is leaving going into the cell as they paddle through the blood of the minotaur. A bloodcrust! Thought to be the stuff of legend and idle fancy. A Bloodcrust is a fungus which becomes Essence sensitive when it comes into contact with the blood of a highly magical human being. In this case, the minotaurs created undeadness. The Bloodcrust remains in the same spot for hours or centuries, depending on the power of the creature that lost it’s blood, the power of emotions that remained in the blood as a residue and the strength of the Essence in the surrounding area. When a target comes into range, the Bloodcrust will surge towards it’s victim, often at a blazing speed, coating it’s victim in a thin, red film. The victim begins to bleed through their pores at a rate of 5 hits/rnd. All this information, and more flits through Ferox’s mind and then he remembers – fire! Triple damage. Ware the victim though – cruel to be kind, perhaps?

As Biryn backs away a small section flanks him as he waves the torch low to the ground. It leaps and lands on his boot with a disgusting slapping noise.

Ulrich preps the flask of oil, stuffing a piece of bedroll into the mouth of the bottle. He then leans forward and lights it from Biryn’s torch. “Adios Berrak” thinks Ulrich as he tosses the flask in the cell. The flask explodes with a roar, filling the cell with fierce flames. Amongst it all Berrak can be seen – arms outstretched – but alive!

They barricade themselves into the storage room and Ulrich stands watch. During the ‘night’ Ulrich hears the same low rumbling they heard a few hours ago, coming from above them somewhere. Landslide? Earthquake? Wrath of the Gods?

Ferox remembers his poor little pet, he ran off the moment Asheren fired his first shockbolt. He asks Lysar to help him track it down. Despite the inanity of the task, the rest of the party agree to follow. They were tired, frustrated and fed-up.

They follow the tracks which lead to a section of the maze they passed quickly by in their previous searchings. The tracks stop at a wall and Berrak applies his mind to working out how the hidden door opens. After scanning for traps Berrak swings the door open. In the light from the sconces flickering through the doorway, Berraks sensitive nose smells a lot of money. As Lysar leans her head in and casts Projected Light she hears a low growling coming from within as shadows flit across the room, the light from her spell begins to fade and the party prepares for battle. Lysar casts light spells on a few coins and tosses them inside. As they scatter across the massive treasure pile it reveals

Ferox & Asheren cast spell after spell at the creatures missing them as Ulrich blocks the door with his armour clad bulk. Finally Asheren cops each one a glancing blow and they disappear behind the mound of treasure.

Berrak sneaks into the room, treading carefully around the coins, he puts his foot down between two coins and the flag gives beneath his weight. “Uh-oh.”

It is Biryn bringing up the rear who fells the effects of the Sleep cloud first and he drops unconscious to the floor. Then Lysar, Sira and Ulrich keel over. Meanwhile inside the treasure room, Berrak hears the scrabble of claws upon coin and the wolves climb again to the top of the pile. Berrak shoots one with one of Lysar’s silver-tipped arrows and it is arrested in mid-flight. The other though is on him. The wolf crashes into him, slamming him into a wall face first and breaking his nose.

Asheren casts a shockbolt from the doorway and hits the other, he then turns his attention to the gas cloud. He casts breezes, but the opposing spells is too strong. Meanwhile Berrak springs away and down from the attacking wolf, coming up behind it with his dagger drawn. He plunges it into the wolf’s skull – or would have if it hadn’t moved.

Ferox tries to leap Biryn out of the gas cloud, but only succeeds in mildly dislocating his arm. Asheren tries again to blow the cloud away, but it is still too strong. For some reason the gas doesn’t seem to be affecting him or Ferox – must be something to do with the magic in the blood! Finally Ash begins kicking random characters, and Biryn and Sira snap out of it. Sira drags Lysar out of the corridor as Biryn steps up the wolf on Berrak’s back.

As soon as Sira drags her from the room, she awakens, just in time to kill the other wolf with a might smite from her handaxe.

After taking some treasure they find another hidden door and through there find themselves in what appears to be Juzlin’s quarters.

There are a load of papers and notes on the desk, which Ferox and Asheren search thoroughly. Asheren finds some notes about a prophecy and some hero. Ferox finds notes which he is very interested in, Ash finds a small, black, leather-bound book. He has a quick flick through it, but can find nothing particularly interesting.

Ulrich finds a stick under the pillow and Biryn finds a cupboard full of women’s clothing. He grabs some, draping it suggestively over his armour. He starts walking up and down the room singing a bawdy Norekian pub song.

Berrak takes a bath after finding a bathroom through another door. The water is plentiful and heated.

Soon they gather at the portal. Establishing the marching order, they bravely go through.

When they arrive they are in a ten foot long, five foot wide corridor, with a pedestal at the far end. Sitting on the pedestal is a satin red cushion and sitting on that is a small, gold key.

Sira is listening carefully for sounds of movement besides their own, when he suddenly notices that the bricks in the wall to the east are not the same as the others – either in here or in this maze.

Biryn touches the key to the wall, sets off Gauntlet door trap.

“I’ll try and describe it – no wait, it’s too horrible”

Chapter 10....