Murphy the Unlucky stirs from his restless sleep, haunted by dreams that never seem to end. Opening one eye, he notices a soft light coming in from his tent flap. Realizing that the moons over Dereth quietly rising, he decides to rise and greet the moons in full glory. The chill night air whistles through his armor as he stretches the remaining weariness from his body. His eyes open widely as he realizes where his forthcoming task will take him.

For weeks, he has attempted this adventure, not only once, but thrice failing in his attempts. Guilt surges in as he remembers his lost comrades in arms. After studying again the now bloodied manuscript detailing the secrets of the lost town of Colier, mentally reliving the prior episodes, another wash of grief takes him, forcing him to his knees in anguish.

The warrior has had many adventures since that foul time, gaining in both wisdom and strength. He has made many friends and allies along the way. His life has been fruitful and honorable, by defending forsaken adventurers, and continuing to rid the world of those vile wasps that plague the land. After recently conquering what could only be termed a Citadel of evil, filled with giant beasts that came at the warrior in a month of unending battles, the warrior decides it is time, once again to conquer his greatest fears.

Although Holtburg is a pleasant town, the beds at the inn are lumpy, and the walls are too thin. He decided to camp near the meeting hall and plan for the upcoming travel and ensuing battle. He takes out the parchment with the route scribed into it, and scans the horizon to the north looking for familiar features. Finding familiar mountains (and familiar memories), he quickly packs camp and crosses a river, knowing full well what awaits him not too far from here.

Running comes easily to this fit warrior, and he crosses the land like the wind. Passing a multitude of lesser creatures that have no chance to even hit him let alone catch up with him, only pausing to kill a stray wasp or two. He stopped briefly to catch his breath near an abandoned farm, taking out his map and noting the terrain. Mountains ahead, and with them, come the Tuskers. With a resigned sigh, he folds his map and heads out.

Ahead of him, he spots something new. He had heard of the unorganized race of Monguas, often defeating their outcasts easily, but the one ahead appeared somehow different. He was bigger than the outcast, meaning that he should have been even weaker, as these creatures only grow in size as they start getting weaker. This one was different, somehow seeming wily and strong. Murphy decides that to go around the creature would be unacceptable, as he needed to reach Colier by dawn.

Drawing his trusty Axe, he charges forth with a roar. The foul beast hears this and takes up a charge of its own. The ensuing battle was spectacular. The unending ringing of Axe against Mace could be heard for miles. It was loud enough to get our hero to glance around nervously to see if any of this creatures allies had heard the fight and decided to join in. Luckily, however, the battle was soon over. With only a couple of nicks in his armor, and adding a new notch to the handle of his trusty silifi, Murphy rested over the bloodied body of his newly fallen victim.

Looking over the mountain he knew to be his last before Colier, our warrior could see the small tribes of tuskers surrounding that sinister town. Saving his strength, was decided the best course of action. He planned a route around the largest forces of the troublesome beasts. In a dead run, he evades, all but the fastest of the monkey-like creatures. Making for the only building in Colier that he knew the banderlings infesting this town disliked. The prior trips to this town had taught him as much, as well as where the drudges and banderlings hid their keys to the locked dungeon far below this town.

He spotted the house containing the drudges first, and headed out to make an easy kill. Unfortunately, there was an odd looking drudge that he had never seen before there. That drudge started casting magic at him, slowing him, and making him more susceptible to damage. A quick couple of swats later, and that drudge was no more. Murphy found the key he was looking for, and after a quick breather, went to find the banderling that kept the keys to the prison cells under the town.

He quickly found the house, and headed straight for the beast. Three chops of his powerful axe was more than this minor creature could take, and it crumpled to a bloodied pile on the floor. A couple of minutes of searching revealed the much sought after prize. The second key he needed was now his, and still he breathed. In all the attempts before, he had never made it this far. And this time, he had only a couple of small bruises and a cut on the eyebrow to show for it.

An increasing wave of confidence flowed over our hero, as the realization of what remained for him to defeat below took shape. He had heard from other failed adventurers of the Miners that had somehow risen from the sleep of death. Having fought these zombie-like creatures before with ease, the tension somehow left his body. He quickly headed to the cellar of the house that hid the entrance to this place, and slowly opened the locked doors therein.

Several stray Drudges were about, but most either fell to the wicked Axe that Murphy carried, or got the idea quickly not to tangle with such a fearsome foe. After rounding several corridors and entering a small room, the first of the undead rose to greet our adventurer. It suddenly raised its arms and cast a ball of frost cold enough to freeze the sweat from the cuirass sturdily strapped to his chest. But to his surprise, Murphy was unharmed. The confused undead just stood there while Murphy's axe cleaved it in two. With another vote of confidence, our adventurer continues forth utterly destroying any who gets in his way.

Some minutes later, after continuing to explore this dark place, he finds a chest hidden beneath some old rags. It is locked, but testing the keys he found above, he finds to his amazement, just another key. Although this one seems special somehow. Murphy continues his search of the place and comes to a locked door with no key hole at all. Thinking that a bit odd, he searches the surrounding area looking for clues to this mystery, and comes across a lever guarded by more drudges. After dispatching them and pulling the lever, he hears the deep thud of a door opening in the distance. He turns around and runs for the door, nearly catching his tunic in it, as it slams shut behind him.

He is surprised to see that he on a small landing entering into a pit. He looks down, and knowing he can survive this fall, jumps down. Landing hard, but taking little real damage, he continues forth. The hour's pass, and our explorer enters deeper and deeper into the place, dispatching drudges and undead by the dozen. He is surprised to find a banderling guard and his captain inside, thinking that those smelly beasts preferred the outdoors. They fall quickly to his blade as well.

White mists start to swirl about and lead our hero even deeper into gloom. Knowing what this ominous fog represented, reminded our hero to pull out his trusty wand and perform a strengthening ritual that would help safeguard him for the upcoming trial with the leader of this place. With little shred of doubt, and all the anger pent up from the losses of his friends in previous attempts, Murphy runs forth.

He comes to a closed door, and can hear the creatures lingering just out of site. One thing for these undead, stealth is not their friend, nor mine apparently, as the door shudders from a blast of magic, sending sparks between the cracks. A quick flip of the latch sends four of the undead against me. I can see in the back, several others nearly hidden in a room. A few chops send the closest beasts back to the grave, and I am left with only two.

A wicket chuckle ensues from the hidden room, and an eerie voice drifts out. It is he, Baron Colier, the long dead ruler of this forsaken town. His voice sends a chilling reminder of just how powerful this creature may be. Another miner runs at Murphy and is quickly dispatched. It is now only hero and foe left to do battle. A wave of magical weariness takes our hero and hearing a grim chuckle from behind the wall, Murphy roars to life. With a shout to his fallen comrades, and hopping around the protective corner, he spies at last the foul denizen causing so much pain to his followers.

The ensuing battle ended quickly, as he had spent much of his magic in support of his miners. The pile of bones and cloth at his feet disgusted Murphy and he instead decided to search the room. After finding another locked chest, he tries the newly found key. With a click, he opens the chest, which revealed a glowing amulet throbbing with power. He quickly pockets it and, with finding also a helm, and some jewels, grabs those as well. He continues to search the room, finding a secret exit, allowing him to quickly exit this foul place. He returns back to the cellar he entered to find his place.

Waves of relief wash over our previously troubled adventurer, knowing that the deaths of his friends have been avenged. Knowing also that his skills as an adventurer have grown considerably to allow him to avenge his friends by himself. He finds a nearby portal that deposits him nearly where today's adventure started. If only there was a portal going to Colier, this would have been a much shorter trip. Not caring for the lumpy mattresses and the loud music below, and having no strength left for setting up camp elsewhere, Murphy checks in at the inn and falls into the first peaceful sleep in a month.

The dark dreams do not haunt him this night.

Murphy The Unlucky