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Kiri stirs and wipes the drool from his face. ”Thanks for saving us, Soruk. I don’t like bugs. I admire your sword work.” in response to the idea of resting he adds ”When we do decide to rest, I have a spell that will secure a door, for a time, should we require it.”

Zahra

When Zahra recovers, its on the order of a lightning strike: she rolls to her feet, shrieking in fury. Shouting something that doesn't translate well, she attacks the dead creature's remains, slashing and hacking at it, reducing parts of the beast to a bloody slush. After a few long minutes, she calms herself and stands panting, blood dripping from her blade.

Yes, burn this thing- the body, the eggs, all of it. If you haven't checked the monster's den, I'll be glad to.

"Thank you, my friend," says Garrin to Soruk. "You saved my life, and others. We are truly in your debt."

Looking around, Garrin nods at the suggestion of rest. "Perhaps this incident is a reminder that we must tread carefully, and not take unnecessary risks. Perhaps we have been reckless, and ought to rest here." He looks up at the hole in the ceiling where the monster came from, wondering if there is a way to seal it.

Arthfael takes a closer look at the eggs, wondering if they are natural or the result of wizardry.

Soruk

Soruk accepts the thanks with all the grace of a royal prince. "Ah. It hath been my experience that thou shall have a chance to doth the same for me." He makes sure to learn the names of those he doesn't yet know.

After watching Zahra pulp the creature, he speaks. "I admire thy spirit, Warrior. I am Soruk. I seeth nay reason we cannot be allies." He puts his hands down so Zahra can get a boost up into the ceiling.

Fourth Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Three. Early afternoon. 15th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia







Arthfael approaches the sarcophagus of the mummified Verulian nobleman. The nature priest sees damaged papyrus scrolls interred with the body. He inspects the eggs in its abdomen and finds nothing unnatural about them except their gigantic size. Deprived of a living host, it's possible the monstrous creature's instinct guided it to lay the eggs in a dead host. The druid knows that if these eggs were fertilized, the horrific crawling leviathan was not alone.

By candlelight, Xorzen examines the chamber that fired the deadly boulder. There, he locates only the ingenious mechanical engineering of the ancients that triggered its launch. The masked monk returns and carefully removes the rubble before the northeastern door. He searches the portal's exterior and discovers no further inventive traps of the ancients lying in wait.

Soruk of Osorus inspects the carcass of the mammoth insectoid and unearths nothing unexpected.

The wizards and the paladin counsel rest.

Suddenly, Zahra the amazon leaps back to life with a ferocity unmatched by any man. She hacks asunder the gargantuan insect corpse and stands panting, her sword dripping with emerald blood.

Soruk readies to boost Zahra up into the three foot diameter hole in the ceiling of the crypt.


Actions?


Map:

Red "X" = dead. Lit areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 6/10, Spells: 4/6 1st lvl
  Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 11/17, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl and 1/2 3rd lvl, Lantern
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 15/18, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 6/7, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 18/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 2: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 6/6, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl
  Soruk: Verulian Osoran Cleric/Fighter 1/1: Move: 12", AC: 6(5), HP: 9/9, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 8, HP: 12/12
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 2: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 13/16

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 (All except Amethu and Zahra): 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."

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)

Kiri will stand with trident ready to strike if the thing's mate should show itself in the hole in the ceiling upon Zahra's investigation. "Be careful, Zahra. If you see tentacles get out of there. ...Or one tentacle, even."

Mako:

Mako quickly get up from the cold hard floor. He readies his staff at the sound that their may be more tentacles about.

Arthfael lets his curiosity get the better of him. He carefully retrieves one of the scrolls from the sarcophagus to see if anything legible remains.

Amethu removes the lantern and spell book from his pack and begins to study and memorize the magical mystical symbols that lie within.

Xorzen attempts to listen at the door. If he hears nothing, he tries to crack it open slightly to see what might lie beyond.

Zahra

The albino Amazon accepts the boost, and clambers up into the tunnel, torch in hand. She proceeds slowly, being careful not to contact any of the various nastiness the tunnel no doubt holds.

Loche stalls to see what Zahra will see.

Fourth Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Three. Early afternoon. 15th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia





Arthfael of Cimmeria recovers the tattered remains of a papyrus scroll from the ruptured sarcophagus and unfurls it. Eaten away by insects, all that remains is a portion of a schematic of some sort. The druid does not recognize its exact corridors and chambers.



Perhaps this entombed ancient of lost Verulia was an architect.

Masked Amethu of Uthoth lights his lantern to sit and study his arcane grimoire.

Xorzen of Osorus listens at the northeastern door. Hearing nothing, he tries it and finds it locked tight.

Torch in hand, Zahra is boosted up into the hole in the ceiling and clambers up into it. None of the men follow after the amazon.



Cramped, branching tunnels spiral out, parallel to the floors below. It resembles nothing so much as the interior of an anthill.

In this cramped warren, Zahra will have to crawl.

(Rules for dungeon"crawling":
-Both knees and at least one hand are occupied in crawling. I’ll allow the “crawling hand” to hold a torch. We'll say her arm is extended far enough ahead to avoid burning her hair.
-Her free hand may hold a weapon or a shield, but not both. So, no two-handed weapons.
-No medium or large slashing weapons can be used in combat here.
-Crawling speed in here is 1/4 movement, rounded up. Crawling backwards is 1/6 movement, rounded up. Turning around takes one round.
-Single file only.)


Actions?!


Insect Tunnel Map:

Zahra is above the hole to chamber 39a.

Area Map:

Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 6/10, Spells: 4/6 1st lvl, Lantern
  Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 11/17, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl and 1/2 3rd lvl, Lantern
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 15/18, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 6/7, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 18/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 2: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 6/6, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl
  Soruk: Verulian Osoran Cleric/Fighter 1/1: Move: 12", AC: 6(5), HP: 9/9, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 8, HP: 12/12
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 2: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 13/16, Torch

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 (All except Amethu and Zahra): 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."

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)

Arthfael examines the rest of the scrolls.

Xorzen examines the lock carefully, trying to detect if there are any dangers to trying to pick it open.

"Master Loche! If thow has no intentions of following the foolish amazon to certain death, perhaps you wouldn't mind having a look at this door with me?"

Mako:

Seeing as there is no current threat the easterner sits back down and tries to rest his bones.

OGRE MAGE wrote:Xorzen examines the lock carefully, trying to detect if there are any dangers to trying to pick it open.

"Master Loche! If thow has no intentions of following the foolish amazon to certain death, perhaps you wouldn't mind having a look at this door with me?"

Loche responds: Finally! a hing fit fur a gentleman lik' masell!

Translation: Loche happily inspects the lock.

Amethu continues to study to recover what spells he can...

Zahra

She calls down from the hole. I see tunnels in three directions. If someone can pass me something bulky, I will block two tunnels and explore the third.

While she waits, she'll make sure her gear is secure, mace and torch in hand. IF nothing is available to block the tunnels, she'll climb back down, unwilling to face that much risk.