Within the Hell Mouth, the Rushmoors, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Ten. Nightfall. Tuesday, October 25th, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, foggy
Ghastly creatures, not of this world, lower their hoods, revealing horrific faces of macabre reptilians; each different, each twisted by dark powers.
One horned terror seemingly has no eyes.
(R4)
They hiss and rasp to each other with a fearful intelligence in a chilling, inhuman language that makes one's skin crawl. Then, careful to avoid the writhing plantlife of the pool, the insidious abominations lunge upon the heroes! All-too-human hands wield jagged, barbed spears that savagely impale Pelias, Pip and Grothnak without pity!
(-9hp, -6hp, -4hp respectively) Evil mocking laughter follows, that might have come from the lips of a demon in Hell.
Then things get worse. The heroes feel a dread malevolent presence
inside their minds!
There, the detestable, otherworldly will of the eyeless monster creates agonies exquisite and unnatural!
(All PCs please make an Ability Check vs Wisdom on 1d20. Failure means you take 4hp damage worth of psychic pain.)
Hoom frantically turns the crank to begin lowering an iron cage!
Telkis, Urdur, Mouser and Bo loose more missiles at the only atrocity not engaged in melee with their fellow heroes
(R4).
Both of Telkis' arrows, Bo's sling stone and one of Urdur's daggers, are swallowed up by the central waterfall that inhibits their aim.
But Mouser's dead-eyed stone hits the eyeless terror with bone-crushing force. Urdur's second dagger also strikes true, sinking to the hilt, and the malignant fiend falls to the cavern floor
(R4). It dies hissing an inhuman curse from a time before elves walked the Oerth.
Bo the druid risks a glance down the lower passageway and finds it quiet. For now.
Pip can't get loose of the grasping flora of the fetid pool. He swings his quarterstaff at the nearest foe
(R5) but the living algae and weeds ruin his aim.
Grothnak cuts only air as Brevos pushes past the entangled Pip and drives his longsword through a loathsome hellion, killing it in one blow.
(R5)
On the battlefield's other front, Pelias' new sword disembowels a sinister reptilian in an ebon spout of inhuman blood.
(R1)
Hoom lands a cage and he, Ingrid, Telkis and Urdur see a wide-eyed teenage boy inside, terrified for his life.
Brevos, Hoom, Ingrid, Mouser and Urdur feel another sickening wave of weakness
(Each loses another point of Strength) as the two remaining serpent men begin to shriek for aid!
Actions?!
Map:
The towering waterfall is a 5' diameter column in the center of the pool.
Grey squares are hanging cages. Black squares are lowered cages.
Cutaway View:
West is left. East is right. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.
Rolls and Rulings (non-essential reading):
PC Status:
- Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 19/27
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC 5, HP 9/15, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl
Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 16/28
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 17/22, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl and 1/4 2nd lvl
Hoom Feethos, Elven Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC 3, HP 11/12, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 6, HP: 23/30, Spells: 0/6 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl and 1/2 3rd lvl
Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 3: Move: 6", AC: 2(0), HP: 10/30, Laying Hands: 0/1
Pip, Human Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 9, HP: 5/12
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 2: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 13/26
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC 6, HP 9/9, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl and 0/1 2nd lvl
PC Magic:
- Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.
Entangle (Bo): Duration: 8 rounds
Player Resources: