Finally they reach the (orange) hill. Nothing grows on it, not even a single shrub. There is a cave partway up the hillside; our brave adventurers whip out their torches (all except for Ritha: "I have low-light vision!"), and plunge into the murky depths.

Latke tries to scope out the situation using her Astral Sight, and easily locates the Horror, which appears to her magical vision as a festering, putrid mass of (orange) ick. Luckily, it seems to be asleep, all curled up in its lair among piles of bones and long-since-rusted weapons and armour. Our heroes sneak towards it, hoping to catch it by surprise. No luck, thanks mainly to the clumsy elf. (Oh how I wish that was an oxymoron.) The wormlike monstrosity rears up and screams. Its voice sounds almost exactly like the scream of a child being tortured.

The four Adepts charge right in and start attacking. Sine lets out a mighty Battle Shout which transfixes the Horror in fear. Latke sends volley after volley of Earth Darts at its glistening hide, Agace whacks at it with his huge axe, and Sine and Ritha get the occasional sword strike in as well.

Then, Latke hears a voice whispering inside her mind. The Horror speaks to her, promising her vast amounts of wealth. Tremendous power. A kingdom of her own, with armies at her command. And all she has to do is accept the Horror-mark.

However, the Horror makes one fatal mistake: it doesn't offer her any pie. Tough luck, Mr. Horror; you die now.

Even after it's dead, no one is willing to risk it rising again, so the Adepts spend a good five minutes hacking it into very small pieces. They take its wicked teeth and claws as trophies, find the relic/weapon that they came for in the back of the cave, and leave.

(The GM realizes that the players didn't know they had the option of naming their weapons, so he lets them do so retroactively. Supposedly, a Named weapon that was used to kill a Horror will end up becoming more powerful than an ordinary weapon, or something. I can't remember what I originally decided to name it, so Ritha's broadsword is henceforth known to all and sundry as "Bob.")

The trip back across the plain is mostly uneventful, except for the fact that the water runs out. Luckily, Ritha finds a few more of those watery tubers underground, and though everyone ends up on half-water-rations for a while, they all survive. It is with much rejoicing that the four Adepts reach the forest; the first thing they do is find a river and refill their waterskins.

That night, as our heroes settle down, their camp is approached by a giant bearlike creature. It wades right in and attacks Agace. Someone recognizes the monster, and tells the others not to help him fight it. Apparently, they're in its territory, and right now it's merely vying for dominance; but if everyone gangs up on it, it will start fighting for its life. Agace wins the fight handily, and the bear-creature limps off.

They pass through the forest, arrive at the swamp (remembering the Word of Power this time; say it with me! Abscarascu!), and get to the riverboat. The orange-o-vision wears off somewhere around here. Our heroes manage to finagle Ritha a spot on the boat, and off they go towards Big City.

The old wizard guy is so happy to get his relic/weapon back that he even includes Ritha in the reward. Everyone gets free training, enough to make it to Circle Two, as well as receiving a hefty pile of cash.

There is much forging of weaponry (Ritha, a weaponsmith, makes herself useful again), and buying of armour, blood-charms, and potions. The Horror's teeth and claws get made into nifty keepsakes. Agace, Sine, and Latke have so much money left over that they have to convert it into elemental coins just to be able to carry it around.

Next: Goin' Sailing
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© Megan Jones 2002. This story wouldn't be possible if not for my endlessly entertaining friends, and the Earthdawn RPG originally by FASA.