Chapter 9: Abyss of the Xenomorphs

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

Checks out the gizmo. Pointing the ends away from people. He turns the dial slowly and grips what looks like a handle. He wonders what powers the device, maybe some crystalline bullets like the wand or it has internal wind-up springs like a pocket watch.

He compares it to his hand held crossbow. It doesn't look like a weapon, at least has no obvious shafts or slingstones.

"Medicine men on the prairie used occultic trinkets like divining rods to locate water or find directions like a compass."

[Inferno]

Engine Earring, The Castle U.S.S. Enterprise
The Barren Wasteland, Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Five. Night? March 29th, 912 CY








Sheriff Yul examines the enigmatic artifact of the gods, but is unable to comprehend its magic yet.

With no good choices remaining, the explorers of the star-castle grimly embrace the lesser evil. But as they ready to embark deeper into the demon maze, Fiefo holds out three potions from the laboratory of the Mad Wizard's Skyscraper:



Adrock carefully uncorks and sniffs each concoction. "They smell like the pink one did." The sage healer advises the injured warriors: "If we must continue further, drink some now. And remember, the pink elixir held three doses."


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 5 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory. X = Dead.

Behind the DM Screen:

Yul examines Phaser: [1d10]=8, [1d10]=1

PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 6, HP: 7/19
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 17/26
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 13/32
L.L. Adrock: Half-Elf Cleric/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 9/9, Spells: 0/6 1st lvl, Lantern
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 10/14, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 13/38

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

End of the World (game description)
Strange New World (maps and realms)
Memory Tapes (the story so far)
Viewscreen (the story so far in images)

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

"They look and smell like the alchemists syrups sold by charlatans. Better to know what the intended brews are good for. Are there any labels on them?

Maybe spoon a mouthful into the guinea pig. If he keels over or disappears altogether we are at least forewarned." he says regarding the offer of potions. While folk act or discuss he will.carry on with a round of investigation of the relic he holds.

[redwarrior]

Connak shrugs, holds his nose and drinks about a third of one of the mixtures, with fingers and claws crossed.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Not for me, Doc. I'm trying to cut down.
The gnome pauses. Who's gonna be scouting? I've got an Invisibility spell I can cast to help with the sneaking around.
He doesn't cast the spell yet, waiting for an answer, and for folks to decide what happens next.

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo sniffs one of the potions, finds that it does indeed smell like the pink potion did, shrugs and takes a drink.

"I could die from this, or I could die from acid spray. It's all the same, really," he says.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan ignores the foul chemicals for now. "Hurry with your bickering. We must secure a place and recover our strength!"

[Inferno]

Engine Earring, The Castle U.S.S. Enterprise
The Barren Wasteland, Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Five. Night? March 29th, 912 CY








In the heinous hatchery of the demons, Sheriff Yul begins to understand the mysterious antique! Identifying trigger and hilt, he believes it to be a strange weapon of some kind; a crossbow of the gods.
He advises they test the potions on the guinea pig.

Adrock nods, opening his pack.



"They've multiplied! And eaten all my rations!"

Volunteering themselves as guinea pigs, Connak and Fiefo drink the purple potion!



The results are astonishing. (+6hp, +12hp respectively) The ratman is entirely healed! The green and blue potions remain.

Ko-Nan the barbarian urges them to hurry before more of the hideous demons return!


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 5 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory. X = Dead.

Behind the DM Screen:

Yul examines phaser: [1d10]=5

Connak drinks one dose. Fiefo drinks two: Healing: Connak: [1d8]=3, Fiefo: [2d8]=6 Results are doubled, because the purple potion has had time to ferment!

PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 13/19
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 26/26
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 13/32
L.L. Adrock: Half-Elf Cleric/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 9/9, Spells: 0/6 1st lvl, Lantern
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 10/14, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 13/38

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

End of the World (game description)
Strange New World (maps and realms)
Memory Tapes (the story so far)
Viewscreen (the story so far in images)

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn can't help but laugh when the 'guinea pigs' tumble out of Adrock's pack. Looks like you've made a friend or three, Doc!

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

Suggests we spoon feed a guinea pig tribble a bit of the green liqueur and another one some blue of the potions are unknown.

Decides to go forward dual wielding his hand held crossbow and the relic looking forward and to the sides and up at ceiling crannies, covering for when folk walk past open chambers.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan, weak from battle but resolute in action, continues south with weapon in hand.

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo is astonished at how good he feels all of a sudden, but he plays it off.

"Hmmmmmm... pretty good," he says. "I'm not wasting any of that on a weird fur... what are those, anyway?" He regards the fur balls skeptically.

Unless anyone else wants more potion, he puts the green and blue ones back in his pack.

[Urson]

maskelyn

We had one- now we got a lot. I wonder what they taste like roasted? Maskelyn stays with the main group.

[redwarrior]

Connak sees that a lot of the group are worse off than he, knocks an arrow in his short bow and is ready to continue with the group.

[Inferno]

Engine Earring, The Castle U.S.S. Enterprise
The Barren Wasteland, Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Five. Night? March 29th, 912 CY








Deep in the ship's dungeons, the questers of The Kirk cautiously delve further into the mist and shadow of the demons' labyrinth.

They soon come to an open doorway onto a great and terrible chamber!





An immense floor is filled with large, leathery, egg-like objects. ("e"s)





And the walls are covered with more dreadful human shapes hidden behind cocoons of resin. ("H"s)





All is quiet. The hall of horrors extends beyond the reach of Adrock's lantern, into shadow.


Actions?!


Map:

H = host. e = egg. One square = 5 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory. X = Dead.





PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 13/19
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 26/26
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 13/32
L.L. Adrock: Half-Elf Cleric/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 9/9, Spells: 0/6 1st lvl, Lantern
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 10/14, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 13/38

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

End of the World (game description)
Strange New World (maps and realms)
Memory Tapes (the story so far)
Viewscreen (the story so far in images)

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan takes in the sight and his brow furrows further into anger and revulsion - if that's possible. He looks back to the group to signal silence. Hand on axe he quietly continues west to find a place to defend - and then plan on how to burn the Filth in that room to oblivion...

[Urson]

Maskelyn
The gnome bites his tongue to keep quiet. He whispers I think we made a wrong toin somewhere, Doc.

[Inferno]

Engine Earring, The Castle U.S.S. Enterprise
The Barren Wasteland, Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Five. Night? March 29th, 912 CY







Foregoing the miraculous potions, Ko-Nan halts at the threshold of the chamber of the damned.

Maskelyn whispers, "I think we made a wrong toin somewhere, Doc."

The celestial shaman had told them the crew of The Kirk's castle-ship numbered in the hundreds. Was this the fate of them all?

Led by Ko-Nan, the explorers quietly back away from the hellish hall, cautiously probing the western boundaries of the demon maze; that twisting labyrinth of the ancient architecture of the gods, now shrouded beneath strange alien formations of organic resin.



They find a second door sealed behind a wall of the bizarre amber.

All is quiet... for now.


Actions?!


Map:

H = host. e = egg. One square = 5 feet. Lighter areas were visible this round. All else is from memory. X = Dead.





PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 13/19
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 26/26
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 13/32
L.L. Adrock: Half-Elf Cleric/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 9/9, Spells: 0/6 1st lvl, Lantern
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 10/14, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 13/38

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

End of the World (game description)
Strange New World (maps and realms)
Memory Tapes (the story so far)
Viewscreen (the story so far in images)

[ChubbyPixie]

"Knowing our luck, I bet this 'engineer thing' is right in there," says Fiefo regarding the sealed door. He removes his fork and begins probing the resin covering it, trying to pry chunks of it off. If that fails he'll do the same with one of his daggers. "This Kirk better be one cool guy to make this all worth it," he adds as he strains with the knife.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Make nice, Mac. He may be able to hear you. Maskelyn joins in the attempts to remove the 'amber'.