Chapter 14: Things From Another World

[Urson]

Maskelyn
I dunno, Doc. Maybe it was somethin' she learned after she turned into a light show. Or maybe the tribe just really pissed her off.

[Inferno]

Caveman Dwelling near the Starfall, Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Morning. Saturday, April 14th, 912 CY








The adventurers choose to play Xygax's deadly game of "Dungeons and Dragons"... with their lives!

"Never split the party," counsels Mungo. And then they do just that.

Fiefo edges closer to Maskelyn and peers into the vast, slime coated cavern! At its heart is a lake of slime that glows green with an alien luminescence!



Cliffs loom over the lambent lake to the northeast. To the northwest, a tunnel disappears into darkness. And to the west, stone steps ascend into daylight! Neither adventurer shows any sign of infestation yet.

Connak, Draupadi and Mungo leave them, in search of an ephemeral dream vision. They soon stand at the threshold of a cavern sacred to the primitive tribe whose home this was before the coming of the falling star.



There is a powerful scent of incense here.


Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter area is visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 22/24
Draupadi: Human Cleric 5: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 41/41, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 4: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 29/29
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 4: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 35/35
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 45/51, Torch
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 18/18, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 5: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 39/39, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl, Lantern

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)

[redwarrior]

Connak will move forward cautiously, looking for any sudden movements. He'll have his saber in its scabbard, be with his hand hovering near.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
What you think, Doc? Should we wait on them? Or should we take a look ahead?

[Rex]

Draupadi

Draupadi moves into the room.

[jemmus]

Mungo moves into the room, hoping that cheating on Verne, Wells and the Professor with another spirit won't anger them. But they're the demigods and deity of gizmos, and therefore of rational thinking. And getting protection from slime infestation is a rational thing to do.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-nan takes the time to rest a bit as the others go off to check on the mysterious cave.

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo glances at Maskelyn and shrugs.

"Might as well have a look around, I guess. Invincible, remember?" he says.

He edges into the large cavern and makes his way right to the the base of the cliff. Does it look like it can be climbed safely from this direction?

[Inferno]

Caveman Dwelling near the Starfall, Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Morning. Saturday, April 14th, 912 CY






In the lost tribe's place of worship, incense fills the noses of Connak, Draupadi and Mungo and impossibly, reality seethes and writhes and bubbles away in a cascade waterfall of color and light.






Perception awakens and expands and alters and ascends beyond sanity.

Atop a northern stair, they see a universe bloom.




Meanwhile, far away, Ko-Nan and Finver stand guard as Fiefo edges deeper into the vast cavern of slime, ranging beyond Maskelyn's sight.




The slime-coated cliffs would test an expert thief's ability to climb. From his vantage, Fiefo can clearly see the western steps ascending into broad daylight.


Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter area is visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 22/24
Draupadi: Human Cleric 5: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 41/41, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 4: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 29/29
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 4: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 35/35
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 45/51, Torch
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 18/18, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 5: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 39/39, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl, Lantern

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]

"Invincible or not, that looks like a good way to fall on my ass..." Fiefo says to himself, hands on hips, looking at the climb to the clifftop.

He decides against a perilous climb and makes his way back around heading over to the passage leading out. On his way he says to Maskelyn:

"Gonna confirm this is a way out. Never hurts to know where the exits are. You know, for safety..." he says.

[redwarrior]

Connak, awestruck by what he sees, climbs the stairway to better examine this other universe.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn moves about 10 feet North, so he can keep Fiefo in sight, but still be seen by Ko-Nan and Finver. He is unusually quiet and thoughtful-looking.

[jemmus]

Mungo moves up the stairs, mesmerized. By Verne and Wells, Wells and Verne, it's true! he unwittingly cries. Aloud, but unwittingly, so he's spared any embarrassment. It's true! It's true! The tunnel of light is true! Well, a stairway of light, at least! His short legs hasten to carry him up the steps as quickly as possible. Always the same problem, he grumbles. Always the same problem-- human-sized steps. Even on the Stairway of Light! No consideration at all for the smaller or the more aged. Figures. But the exhilarated cleric charges on, snout and goggles turned heavenward, arms and legs churning to bring him up the stairs at a brisk but moderate pace.

[Rex]

Draupadi

Draupadi climbs the stairs.

[SilverBen]

Finver claps his hands in excitement and rubs his palms. He joins his friends exploring the vast slime cavern and ascends the stairway towards daylight and the surface.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan curses and spits at the foolishness of the others. He clutches tight his axe and follows the rest - his eyes watching every flickering shadow - ready to deal out death and judgement.

[SilverBen]

Ko-Nan curses and spits at the foolishness of the others. He clutches tight his axe and follows the rest - his eyes watching every flickering shadow - ready to deal out death and judgement.

Finver looks back at the sound of flying spittle and calls out to his comrade and encourages him saying, "C'mon Ko-Nan, don't belly ache about tha possibility of reachin' tha surface! What could possibly go wrong?" He chuckles at himself and beckons the barbarian on with an excited wave of his arm.

[Inferno]

Caveman Dwelling near the Starfall, Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Morning. Saturday, April 14th, 912 CY








Within a waking dream, Connak, Draupadi and Mungo ascend the stairway to heaven.

In the phantasmagorical mindscape, they find a celestial pool of stars.




Meanwhile, far away, Maskelyn watches pensively as Finver and Ko-Nan enter the vast cavern of slime!




Their boots protect them from the thin, oozing scum that coats the ground as they move with Fiefo toward the daylight.

Suddenly, large mysterious shapes bubble and rise to the surface of the luminescent slime pit! (at "?")


Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet.





PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 22/24
Draupadi: Human Cleric 5: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 41/41, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 4: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 29/29
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 4: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 35/35
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 45/51, Torch
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 18/18, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 5: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 39/39, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl, Lantern

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)

[redwarrior]

Assuming that "pool of stars" is literal

Connak looks around awestruck and wades forward into the pool of stars, looking around and trying to comprehend all that his senses are showing him.

[SilverBen]

Finver bellows, "Run fer it!" and darts ahead full speed!

Can he take the stairs up on the West wall of the slime chamber as an escape?