Chapter 3: The Land That Time Forgot

[SpinwardMarch]

Tullia

I am certainly not going to hang out here by myself. If the majority want to head towards the tower now, I will go along. No sense in splitting the party, that never ends well. Onward, then. Keeping a low profile is probably a good idea.

She makes sure any small metal objects are stowed safely in her backpack, and her sword handle is covered with a heavy cloth. When she starts moving, it is in a low loping jog.

[Urson]

Maskelyn

The gnome finishes packing his gear, looking from one to another of his companions. I am not sure how best to proceed. I will follow the group.

[ChubbyPixie]

"Let's go," says Fiefo, sourly.

Sorry I'm late posting... RL, etc.

[Inferno]

The Towering Plateau, Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Two. Night. March 26th, 912 CY
Hot, humid, partly cloudy







The shipwrecked adventurers recklessly tempt the Fates and ignore the sage advice of the Infinity Oracle of Tee-Em-Zee!

KRAKA-KOOM!

Ominous thunder echoes from the heavens, as if in response to the folly of these foolish mortals.

The faithless heretics move swiftly across the roof of the lightning savaged mesa, their path illuminated by the stars above and intermittent bursts of electricity from out of the sky.



KRAK-KA-BOOM!

The towering iron spire of the ancients continues to draw all lightning away from them.



They reach the skyscraper alive and there they see the ground around it is colorless, loose and granular, forming a wide moat of grey ash.

They cautiously circle the cinder moat and find no windows set into the monolith's impregnable walls, and only one iron door, facing south. Suddenly, lightning explodes high above, standing their hair on end as sparks rain down among them!

KRA-BOOM!


Actions?!


Island map, to date:

X = The adventurers' current position.





PC Status:

• Chaka: Ape-Boy Thief 3: Move: 12"(6"), AC: 6, HP: 14/17
  Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 2: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 18/20
  Jeojand: Cat-Man Magic-User 2: Move: 6", AC: 7, HP: 6/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 25/32
  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: 8/10, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl
  Tullia Galena: Half-Elf Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 24/24

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

The gnome kneels, pinching some of the ashy powder in his fingers, rubbing it to feel the texture and sniffing. Even after he finishes, he stays on his knees, hoping to avoid the lightning.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan stares up into the sky at the looming tower before him. Never in his years has he seen such a man-made thing...

[SpinwardMarch]

Tullia

She drops(gently) to her knees to avoid getting hit. While there, she is going to examine the tower more closely for any more information she can gleen.

[OGRE MAGE]

Chaka is pleased that nobody died on their way to the tower, but now he is starting to get really tired.

Once at the ashy base of the skyscraper, He looks up towards the top to see if there are any obvious entrances higher up.

"Chaka not climb this tower. Too dangerous to touch!"

He collects a handful of the ash in a scrap of cloth to add to his fire kit.

He then digs around in the ash a bit with his sword to see if there is anything directly underneath it.

"How could tall tower stand on such unstable base?"

The thief continues trying to discern a pattern to the lightning strikes, hoping he can get a closer look at the iron door in between the arcing flashes.

[Starbeard]

Jeojand assists Chaka rummaging through the cinder ash. Once they are satisfied that it does not hide anything interesting, he turns his attention to the door and ponders its opening mechanism.

[wolfpack]

The thunder rolls and the lightning strikes
another love grows cold
on a sleepless night

[Inferno]

The Towering Plateau, Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Two. Night. March 26th, 912 CY
Warm, humid, partly cloudy







KRAK-KA-BOOM!

As Adrock chants another long-forgotten hymn of the ancients, Chaka, Jeojand and Maskelyn investigate the cinders at the base of the dead wizard's skyscraper and find nothing amiss. The ape-boy's weapon sinks into the ash moat unobstructed.

Chaka counts the seconds between the lightning strikes and discovers they occur every 2-4 minutes.

Tullia observes that the relentless lightning has caused devastating erosion over time. The ranger believes the lone door might have originally been a subsurface portal.

Chaka's searching eyes find no other points of entry into the dizzying iron tower. And Jeojand sees no visible mechanism with which to open the door.

KRAKA-KOOOOOMMM!


Actions?!


Island map, to date:

X = The adventurers' current position.





PC Status:

• Chaka: Ape-Boy Thief 3: Move: 12"(6"), AC: 6, HP: 14/17
  Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 2: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 18/20
  Jeojand: Cat-Man Magic-User 2: Move: 6", AC: 7, HP: 6/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 25/32
  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: 8/10, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl
  Tullia Galena: Half-Elf Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 24/24

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)

[wolfpack]

after the lightning strike we have to try and open the door before the next one, I have no desire to Ride the Lightning.

[Starbeard]

Jeojand

"Yes, but how? There is no mechanism with which to open it."

He waits until the next strike of lightning, then gives the door a hardy push.

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo eyes the door. He looks as unhappy and irritated as you've come to expect. He squints hard, then says, looking up, "If this used to be below ground, as you say, Tulia, then there must be another door somewhere up higher." Circling, he begins to scan the walls for any evidence of another entrance.

[wolfpack]

LL will knock on the door three times

knock, knock, knock

There's a giant doing cartwheels
A statue wearing high heels
Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn
A dinosaur Victrola, listening to Buck Owens
Doo, doo, doo, looking out my back door

Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band
Won't you take a ride on the flying spoon?
Doo doo doo
A wond'rous apparition, provided by magician
Doo, doo, doo, looking out my back door

[OGRE MAGE]

Chaka watches as the door is examined, wondering how much longer this plateau would last under these conditions.

Waiting to see if anyone answers the knock first, the thief eventually plies his trade on the door, making sure he only touches it in between the strikes of lightning. He looks for a latch, lock, or any other mechanism that might lend a clue as to how it opens.

He secretly hopes that the static cling will make all of his hair stand on end. He always liked that look.

[SpinwardMarch]

Tullia

Anyone have a large hammer, or pry bar? That's all I can suggest. Architecture is not my department.

When all else fails, use brute force and massive ignorance, she thinks. Or maybe the lightning has welded the door shut. Who knows with such ancient buildings.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan readies his weapon as he watches LL brazenly walk up and knock on the door...

[Urson]

maskelyn

Maskelyn joins the others near the door, facing outward to watch for sneak-attackers.

He mutters a prayer to Bugs, asking The Trickster to leave them alone for a few minutes.

[Inferno]

The Towering Plateau, Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Two. Night. March 26th, 912 CY
Hot, humid, partly cloudy







The shipwrecked explorers had reached their goal at last: the dead wizard's skyscraper.

Ko-Nan and Maskelyn stand guard as Fiefo ignores the door, searching in vain for another way in.

Chaka scans the door. He finds no means of opening it.

Adrock knocks on the door. No one answers.

Tullia asks if any have a crowbar. None do.

Jeojand pushes on the door. It creaks open wide, revealing...



...a 70 foot long tunnel of stone bricks, iron pipes and steel ropes leading into the soaring stronghold, illuminated by strange flickering light in the ceiling. Ancient pictoglyphs of 'Earth That Was' are inscribed on mounted signs.

And an iron door at the shaft's northernmost end stands ajar.

KRAK-KA-BOOOOM!


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet.



Map detail:






PC Status:

• Chaka: Ape-Boy Thief 3: Move: 12"(6"), AC: 6, HP: 14/17
  Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 2: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 18/20
  Jeojand: Cat-Man Magic-User 2: Move: 6", AC: 7, HP: 6/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 25/32
  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: 8/10, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl
  Tullia Galena: Half-Elf Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 24/24

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)