Chapter 17: The Island of Death

[OGRE MAGE]

With the group unsure which direction to advance next, Xorxen motions for the others to follow him as he moves to the single door in the east wall he listened at earlier.

He looks the portal and its frame over carefully for any dangers before attempting to open it.

[Inferno]

The Island of Death, The Underground City, Beneath the Great Pyramid of Xuthalhotep
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Ten. Afternoon?, 23rd day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia





The blasphemous pictoglyphs from out of time without measure fill the explorers with a nameless dread. Alert, they confer in tense whispers and then slowly back away from the forbidden words of mystery and power.

As Zahra stands watch over the fearsome portal, the others search for a way to their terrifying terminus, the demon god Zargoth.

This isn't the first temple that Loche has raided. He counsels a straight path through the subterranean labyrinth, believing the strange, unsettling architecture will conform to the designs of Men. The Pict thief silently creeps up the stone steps, worn smooth by countless footfalls. Finding no deathtraps lurking in wait for him, he listens at the ominous double doors and hears nothing.

Borrowing Cruloc's torch, Xorzen examines the eastern door. Deeming it safe enough to touch, he pushes it open. Past the threshold stands revealed the brooding ruin's fearful symmetry. More strange spherical shapes, perhaps statues, huddle against the walls. Rendered in mottled browns, each is between three and four feet in diameter. In the flickering torchlight they seem to be wrapped in rusting chains. Beyond stagnant pools of standing water, a stairwell descends to another stone door; this one unmarked.


Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet.

Map:






PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/7 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl, Lantern
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 31/45
Garrin: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 3(1), HP: 14/26, Laying Hands: 1/1, Torch
Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 24/25
Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 12/12, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Tjoruy: Verulian Osoran Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 20/31, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 2/4 2nd lvl
Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 6(4), HP: 10/16, Torch
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 19/29, Light spell on javelin

PC Magic:

Protection from Evil (Garrin): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Garrin.
Healing Mists of Osorus (Garrin, Kiri, Loche, Mako and Xorzen have breathed of the mists): All lost HP recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 HP per hour. Duration: "months."
Invisibility (Mako): Target: self.
Slow Poison (Amethu): Target: none yet. Duration: 142 rounds.
Light (Mako): Target: Zahra's javelin. Duration: 38 rounds.

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
Hieroglyphs (the story so far, in images)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[Bluetongue]

Loche

In the purgatory of the island of death, the Pict savage is not convinced hearing nothing beyond the door a good or bad thing. No sign or sight of life could as easily be a clue to lurking undead.

So, using some racial tracking skills I want to scour the floor in front of the door, looking for recently upturned leaves, bent grasses, flipped pebbles showing a less mossy side. Anything that might demonstrate the beast men who attacked us came through this doorway. Thinking if they passed through it is less likely trapped, at least mechanically.

Loche tries to Track vs 25% [1d100] = 63

He shakes his head, only discerning his lack of talent. So at the point of his dagger he nervously pushes the right hand door ajar.

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

Mako joins Loche at the double doors. "Fear not. It is only I, Mako. Do you think it's wise to enter alone?"

[ravenn4544]

Amethu will follow in his place as they make ready to advance into the heart of madness.

[Urson]

Zahra
Zahra holds position, her attention divided. She watches the door at the foot of these stairs, ready for any motion. At the same time, her ears are tuned for any possible threats behind her.

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorxen closes the door again, handing the torch back to the uncouth barbarian if he wants it. If there is a large hunk of rubble nearby, he moves it in front of the base of the door, to slow down anything that might come from that way and give an audible warning if the door is pushed into the room. (only if the door opens into the main room, of course)

"There is another stair with a door beyond, past a room containing what appear to be statues in chains. But, nothing rushed out to attack us from in there yet, so......"

Staying in the center of the main room, the masked monk watches the action at the top of the steps, his javelin at the ready.

[Bluetongue]

Loche

Ah Mako, you whisper unseen into my ears like my angelic conscience. Come then, walk in my shadow."

After pushing the door ajar and waiting pensive for any surprise or lurking creature, if nothing happens I will open the door and step through.

[SocraticLawyer]

Let us not divide our forces, says Garrin. He heads to the eastern door, leading the group through when all are assembled.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

The barbarian moves eastward at the suggestion of the pajama-clad monk, pausing briefly in the main hall to observe its sepulchral echoes.

[Inferno]

The Island of Death, The Underground City, Beneath the Great Pyramid of Xuthalhotep
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Ten. Afternoon?, 23rd day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia





The cryptic hieroglyphs of the unholy stonework writhe, as if given life and movement by the flickering light of Zahra's spearhead. The amazon averts her eyes lest the profane icons drive her blind or mad or worse. Alas, poor Kiri.

As Cruloc and Garrin join Xorzen, the masked monk closes the eastern door and props a broken stone at its base.

Amethu and Mako follow Loche up the steep steps to the ominous portal. The Pict thief tests the right hand door with his jeweled dagger and it creaks open revealing a strange sight beyond!

In a viridan mist, a ghostly corpse hovers in mid air, spectral and weightless!




Then with dread realization, the trio grasp what it is their eyes behold!




A terrible, indescribable horror! Formless, protoplasmic and vast! The stone walls constrict its unimaginable shape as it slithers forward! The eldritch Elder Thing suddenly ignites with inner light and horribly, mouthlessly, it screams, "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!"


Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet.

Map:






PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/7 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl, Lantern
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 31/45
Garrin: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 3(1), HP: 14/26, Laying Hands: 1/1, Torch
Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 24/25
Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 12/12, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Tjoruy: Verulian Osoran Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 20/31, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 2/4 2nd lvl
Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 6(4), HP: 10/16
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 19/29, Light spell on javelin

PC Magic:

Protection from Evil (Garrin): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Garrin.
Healing Mists of Osorus (Garrin, Kiri, Loche, Mako and Xorzen have breathed of the mists): All lost HP recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 HP per hour. Duration: "months."
Invisibility (Mako): Target: self.
Slow Poison (Amethu): Target: none yet. Duration: 141 rounds.
Light (Mako): Target: Zahra's javelin. Duration: 37 rounds.

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
Hieroglyphs (the story so far, in images)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[Bluetongue]

Loche


Stares in horror to take the sight in. The slithering and effervescence of a seemingly sentient jelly.

This thing is huge and ever hungry. The savage offers either we retreat and go through a side room or if we are to press on in the main hallway, then bypass the beast.

"Blades and bashing may not make much impact on this creature save carve it in twain for the double trouble my Ma' said was beyond these doors. But I think we can navigate around it if we act quickly."

Loche fishes out a few oil flasks from his pouches.

"Look, we spread oil on these tiles here and shelter ourselves here. The jelly flows through the door and we light the fire hoping the threat of burning alive causes it to move to this side and down those steps. We stay on these steps. The flames die down we have a narrow window to run by. What do you think?"

as each oil flask could cover approx a 3'ft diameter pool, we could cover the area in front of the right hand door and the area at the top of the right hand steps. We hunker behind the flaming barricade on rhe righf hand steps. The jelly comes through the door. Light the oil, jelly burns at least a couple of rounds x4 oil to get us or chooses to flow down left hand steps. Flames die down, we run by the jellified acid clean hallway ....

[Urson]

Zahra
From her position at the side door, Zahra shivers. She thinks of half- remembered stories, passed from one child to another, of great blobs of flesh that crawl and eat. She struggles to compose herself and keep watch, doing her duty to her companions.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

The sight of the oozing translucent behemoth cripples the barbarian's consciousness. Sheer iron will summons the residual sense to bellow, "Shut the door, Pict!"

Fragments of subconscious dreams and racial memories of ancient horrors deaden his legs, and instinct alone carries him up the stone incline toward the gaping aperture. His head is churning, and ice-cold terror clutches at his vitals.

"Devour us it will!"

[ravenn4544]

Amethu sees the strange creature slide forth against the stone walls. He pales beneath his mask briefly. "Shut the door indeed!" He will move back against the wall and help Loche with his plan "Yes- fire may work! I can light the oil with my magic"

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

"Even if your plan succeeds and we skirt past the abomination, it'll remain alive and we shall have an enemy at our backs! Zahra," emphatically gesturing toward the lion-helmed Amazon, "will have your balls for dice!"

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin runs forward, doing what he can to help shut the door before the abomination is upon them.

[OGRE MAGE]

Staying clear of the dangerous open portal, Xorxen rushes to the stairway closest to Zahra and stops there to listen beyond it. (Hear Noise)

[DadsAngry]

Mako:
Closes the door and looks for a locking mechanism or other method to reinforce the door.
"Surely your memory is not that bad Loche. Not less than 10 days ago we encounter such a creature. Save your oil and help me secure this door."

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[Bluetongue]

Loche

"Aye. I remember too well what I thought were blagged stories of oozie-woozies and jellies with a flavour for man.

Always said t'were a sham to pour fine brandy on the festive pud and light it up. We will save the oil and this ebbing creature's baptism of fire til later."

He places his handful of flasks back in his pouches and hurries then down the steps to follow others through the next rooms.