Chapter 2: Escape From the Island of the Apes

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan stays as still as ancient granite as he blends into the foliage around him (hide in natural surroundings)

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo thinks about making a run for the trees, then delays. He figures his best chance to live is to wait and see which way they move, then try to use the boat for cover against at least some of them. He stays where he is, but again, will lash out at a horse if one comes around the boat:

Attack with Fauchard Fork (THAC0 19): To Hit: [1d20] = 2 Damage vs. s/M: [1d8] = 3, vs. L: [1d10] = 9Yikes...

[OGRE MAGE]

Buck looks down at his arm in horror, wondering why he didn't just run away with the others.

He does that now, no longer willing to attempt a parlay. He was thinking about rushing back into the water before his arm started gushing blood. Instead he sprints as fast as his little legs can move him towards the others hiding in the jungle to the west.

He can be heard swearing under his breath as he hurries along.

[wolfpack]

LL moves another 20 feet deeper into the forest then crouched starts heading south towards where Tulia ran into the forest.

[Mant72]

Chaka crouches in silence. The thundersticks have awakened his most primal fears. He finally snaps out of his temporary paralysis and follows LL further into the jungle.

[Urson]

Maskelyn

Huddled in the sand, Maskelyn mutters to himself, trying to think of something he can actually _do_, rather than just hide.

[Inferno]

Beach of the Goddess, Eastern Coast of the Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard
Land of One Thousand Towers
Day One. Mid-Morning. March 25th, 912 CY







At the deceptions woven by Maskelyn the conjurer, frightened steeds wheel and jerk as their intelligent ape riders struggle to calm them.

"Get those horses under control," says Brutus, the westernmost simian hunter of Men. (G1) Then he carelessly takes aim at the treeline where the feral man (Ko-Nan) was last seen.

BOOM!

In the wake of the roaring thunder, Ko-Nan feels the air hum around him and a tree branch at his back snaps and falls to the ground. The barbarian remains motionless.

The civilized ape on the other end of the line (G6) advances casually and confidently, expecting his wounded prey (Buck) to fall. "I saw one go back here," he tells his comrades as he comes around the shattered shipwreck to flush out more human prey.

Breathless and filled with murderous anticipation, Fiefo LeBratt sees his chance! As the simian rider (G6) comes around the wreckage of the boat, Fiefo fiercely lunges forward with his tribal pitchfork but stabs only air! Off balance in the sand, he steadies himself against the rider's leg and the ape snarls, "Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty man!"

Meanwhile, Jeojand the cat-man sorcerer makes slow progress moving south through the cover of the thick jungle. He encounters two sailors, Arto the halfling (A) and Switch the dwarf (S), hiding behind two trees. "Wh-what's going on?!" whisper-shouts Arto Hobbs, now thankful to be such a small target.

Badly wounded, Buck the mole-man flees west to take cover behind the treeline, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. He arrives in time to see L.L. Adrock and Chaka start west, deeper into the thick primeval jungle.



Adrock and Chaka find Tullia 20 feet further in from the treeline. The elven ranger finds no sign of the primitive, bestial humans here.

On the beach, Maskelyn remains behind the cover of Houdin. The mutant iguana still protects the gnome's life even in unconsciousness and death.

Then Maskelyn sees the three ensorcelled primitive men (4, 5, 11) slowly begin to awaken! Suddenly, the gnome conjurer feels a hand grab his ankle! The blinded human animal behind him is casting around to get his bearings!


Actions?!


Map:

The PCs are blue. Houdin is green. Cavemen are orange. Gorillas are purple.
X = Unconscious or dead. B = Blinded. S = Sleep
Not depicted are Adrock, Chaka and Tullia, who are 20 feet west of Buck.


Non-required Reading (Rolls and Rulings):

50% chance of the horses of G2,3,4,5 still being spooked: [1d100] = 15, [1d100] = 32, [1d100] = 12, [1d100] = 7 Wow. All four are still spooked! G2-5 lose another action.
Initiative: Party: [1d6] = 2, Monsters: [1d6] = 3 Apes win.
G1 'blind' shot at Ko-Nan: To hit: [1d20-8] = 20-8 = 12, damage: [2d6] = 6 Misses.

PC Status:

• Buck Russellswart: Mole-Man Cleric 2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 10/18, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl
  Chaka: Ape-Boy Thief 3: Move: 12"(6"), AC: 6, HP: 17/17
  Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 2: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 13/20
  Jeojand: Cat-Man Magic-User 2: Move: 6", AC: 7, HP: 5/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 32/32
  L.L. Adrock: Half-Elf Cleric/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 6/6, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl
  Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 2: Move: 9", AC: 8, HP: 5/10, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl
  Tullia Galena: Half-Elf Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 24/24

PC Magic:

• Light (Buck): Duration: 75 rounds
  Sleep (L.L. Adrock): Duration: 1 round
  Audible Glamour (Maskelyn): Duration: 3 rounds

PC 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)

[Starbeard]

Jeojand whispers to Arto and Switch, "It seems we have been waylaid by a pack of filthy gorillas, too stupid to tell being from beast. My guess is that anyone still out in the open is as good as dead. Still, if we continue south through the jungle, perhaps we can ambush them and scare them away before they do more damage. They don't seem very brave to me—let's go."

He continues to slink through the jungle toward the gorillas.

[ChubbyPixie]

"I am no man!" hisses Fiefo before stabbing at the ape and dramatically totally missing again:

Attack with Fauchard Fork (THAC0 19): To Hit: [1d20] = 5 Damage vs. s/M: [1d8] = 3, vs. L: [1d10] = 2

I'm not very good with this thing he thinks and wonders where the hell all his "friends" went. He should have stayed in the nest...

[wolfpack]

LL will move south in the forest just far enough to get in range to cast light in the eyes of G1's horse

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan remotes motionless yet quivers with rage inside. Monkey-cowards! Using cowardly magic to fight from a cowardly distance! Piss on them!

[OGRE MAGE]

Buck doesn't really like the filthy rat, but he doesn't want to see him slaughtered either. He makes his way south towards the action, staying inside the cover of the tree line enough to not be seen by the dangerous apes with their fire-sticks. He will reassess the situation once he gets a bit closer.

[Urson]

Maskelyn

In a sudden panic, Maskelyn whips his staff around to smash the primitive grabbing his ankle.

att [1d20] = 11 Maskelyn
staff [1d6] = 4

[SpinwardMarch]

Tullia

Seeing LL and Chaka heading her way, she cautiously tries to get their attention. Assuming they do see her, she motions for them to quietly advance in her direction.

When they are close, she whispers, Wait here with me for a little while; my arrows are no match for those fire sticks. When the ape-men leave, we can collect our group and then figure out what to do with the riders. There must be a way to deal with them. Yeeesh, talk about hostile natives.

[Inferno]

Beach of the Towering Goddess, Eastern Coast of the Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard
Land of One Thousand Towers
Day One. Mid-Morning. March 25th, 912 CY





In search of a dead wizard's tower, the adventurers were shipwrecked on its mysterious island. There, they were attacked by primitive humans and then by civilized apes with strange, fearsome weapons.



The adventurers divide their forces, some fleeing into the jungle, others taking cover on the beach.

In hiding, Jeojand and Buck follow the treeline south. The dense jungle impedes their progress but they soon happen upon a trailhead. (between J and B) A rough track moves west into the jungle and then divides. One path wends south, beaten down by the wild retreat of the proto-humans. The other path, fainter, continues west in the direction of the dead wizard's tower.

Deeper in the foliage, Tullia counsels patience to Adrock and Chaka. But, hearing more thunder erupting on the beach, the pair urgently backtrack to offer what help they can, emerging near the trailhead by Buck and Jeojand.

To the south, Ko-Nan the barbarian's only motion is quivering with impotent rage.

On the beach, Maskelyn the gnome strikes the grasping, blind beast man with his quarterstaff, and the sightless primitive quickly recoils his hand.

South of them, Fiefo the rat-man is flushed out from behind the ship's wreckage. "I am no man!" he hisses at the mounted ape that hunts him, as he misses again with his tribal trident.

The simian rider (G6) is momentarily stunned, disbelieving his ears.

Then suddenly, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A dozen explosions of thunder detonate in the distance, from the southwest! They are followed by the long, low trumpeting of a horn.

Brutus the simian leader of the hunt (G1) rears up his horse and laughs.



"That's the signal," he calls triumphantly. Seeing no living humans left on the beach, he says, "Looks like we've succeeded in flushing them out and herding them into the ambush site. Time to join up with the main group! We'll collect these kills after the culling is over. Ride, my friends. Ride!"

Fiefo's hunter (G6) wheels his horse around to leave. He'll tell no one what he heard here for fear of looking foolish, mad or drunk. Unlucky Fiefo lunges again with his tribal weapon and misses a third time!

The ape riders regain control of their horses and spur them on, galloping south down the beach laughing and joking in the merry spirits of a successful hunt. They turn inland, out of sight.

Just when the adventurers think the danger has passed, the beast men near Maskelyn (4, 5, 11) begin to awaken from Adrock's enchanted slumber! The last thing they will remember is defending their territory from strange invaders from the sea!


Actions?!


Beach Map:

The PCs are blue. Houdin is green. Cavemen are orange. Gorillas are purple.
X = Unconscious or dead. B = Blinded.
Not depicted is Tullia, who is 20 feet west of the northernmost palm tree.

Island Map:

As you explore, more of this map will be filled in.
The white area on the western half is Terra incognita.
The shoreline that was visible during your approach to the island is shown.
The approximate placement of the Dead Wizard's Tower, as seen from the beach, is marked.


Non-required Reading (Rolls and Rulings):

Initiative: Party: [1d6] = 6, Monsters: [1d6] = 2 Party wins.
50% chance of the horses of G2,3,4,5 still being spooked: [1d100] = 63, [1d100] = 80, [1d100] = 60, [1d100] = 55 The horses are no longer spooked. G2-5 may act freely now.
Fiefo: Opportunity Attack: To Hit: [1d20] = 9, Damage vs. S/M: [1d8] = 2, vs. L: [1d10] = 6 Misses.

PC Status:

• Buck Russellswart: Mole-Man Cleric 2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 10/18, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl
  Chaka: Ape-Boy Thief 3: Move: 12"(6"), AC: 6, HP: 17/17
  Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 2: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 13/20
  Jeojand: Cat-Man Magic-User 2: Move: 6", AC: 7, HP: 5/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 32/32
  L.L. Adrock: Half-Elf Cleric/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 6/6, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl
  Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 2: Move: 9", AC: 8, HP: 5/10, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl
  Tullia Galena: Half-Elf Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 24/24

PC Magic:

• Light (Buck): Duration: 74 rounds
  Audible Glamour (Maskelyn): Duration: 2 rounds

PC 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)

[Mant72]

Seeing the simians vacate the beach, Chaka draws his long sword and warily approaches the stirring Neanderthals surrounding Maskelyn.

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo looks down at his tribal weapon, Enard’, in disgust. ”I should’ve practiced with this,” he says, stowing it and drawing his scimitar and shield. “Maskelyn, run for the trees while you can. I’ll cover you.” He heads northwesterly in a path to intercept the gnome should he decide to take his advice, with the idea of interposing himself between him and the beast men. As he walks he holds up a hand in a warding motion to the awakening brutes, in the international sign for “stop.” He’ll gut these suckers if he has to, no problem, but it doesn’t hurt to try to be civil.

[SpinwardMarch]

Tullia...

...hearing the sounds in the distance, and then the departing horses, will move to meet the others at the edge of the jungle.

In a tone that carries, but is not loud, Yo! I be there in a minute.

She mutters to herself, We need to stay together, or we are not going to last long. Damn the ape-men and their weapons.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan cautiously exits the tree line to observe the galloping ape-men and regroup with the party bringing what remaining coconuts he can find.

[wolfpack]

LL will move to the jungles edge and cast light into the eyes of #5

Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce another runner in the night