Chapter 23: The Grave of Empire

[jemmus]

Torix hears the sound of squishing impact to Grigor's left side. He's holding his shortbow with an arrow loosely nocked. Not ideal for fighting an unseen enemy, but there's no time to sling it and change to his spear. He runs into the room, turns to the right and dashes five paces, hoping he doesn't run into a trap, a pitfall, or anything else. He turns around and draws his bowstring to his ear, scanning around behind Grigor for a target for his arrow.

[Bluetongue]

Grigor

Grigor: saves vs Petrification 13+ [1d20]=10

"Looks all clear ... .." he mumbled then gets enveloped by the oozing ameobos blob.

[ChubbyPixie]

Not yet aware of the trouble to the west, Kiri glances at Amethu, then opens the metal door a hand's width and peers inside.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

"Hold, Kiri," Cruloc whispers. "If the key fits, leave the portal closed till we muster."

The barbarian, ignorant of not only arithmetic and letters but also of the viscid disaster manifesting to the west, is alerted by Gnasher's baying!

"Crom's frozen beard! Each chamber in these warrens harbors a fresh horror!" He races towards the commotion, gleaming Thracian sword in hand!

[Urson]

Zahra
Torix, wait!... Zahra reaches to catch the barbarian, but misses. She steps toward the door, unsure of what's happening. Water?

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

She hears the surprise in Grigor's voice and then Gnasher's frantic barking and knows something has gone terribly wrong. "Why is Grigor...what...what is wrong with him?" she wonders aloud...and then presses back against the wall as Cruloc comes crashing by!
"What the hell?" she says, fussing at the Cimmerian's back. She glances down at her sword and then steps up beside Zahra. "What's going on?"

[ravenn4544]

Amethu also leaves the door unopened at the commotion coming from the west. He moves in that direction!

[Urson]

Zahra
I do not know- but it's strange and dangerous. Be careful, sister.

[Inferno]

The Caverns of Thracia, Pictland, the World of Hyboria
Day Twelve. Afternoon? 22nd day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia




Kiri Khutan opens the iron door wide enough to peer through it.



An obsidian corridor ventures north twenty feet before it is consumed by the ravening dark.

Suddenly a commotion erupts behind them; frantic barking and shouting! Amethu and Cruloc rush west in time to see Torix leap through the secret door, out of sight!

The Pict barbarian's dread foreboding haunts him no more. Then he wheels, arrow nocked, and beholds something unimaginable.



A glistening, nigh-invisible wall fills the winding hallway! Objects swarm weightless within it, including the fleshless corpse of a Thracian warrior! Zahra edges closer and cannot believe her pale eyes.

The looming, eldritch thing crawls forward and absorbs the stricken gypsy priest into its vast protoplasmic form! Mouthless, it screams.

Its once-transparent mass horrifically blossoms with a ghastly cloud of crimson as it starts the unspeakable process of dissolving Grigor's flesh! (7hp damage)

Mercifully the gypsy's lantern, still locked in his fist, is deprived of air and goes out. Torix and Zahra are plunged into darkness and need not witness that horror any longer.


Actions?!


Map Detail:

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

Behind the DM Screen:

Initiative: Party: [1d6]=5, Monsters: [1d6]=4 Party wins.
Monster automatically hits paralyzed target.
Damage to Grigor: [2d4]=7

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 4/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 17/17, Spells: 6/8 1st lvl, 4/5 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 32/45
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 1: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 19/25
Grigor: Zamoran Nomad Cleric/Fighter 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 14/29, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, Paralyzed
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 20/21, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Torch
Torix: Pict Savage Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 28/28
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 1, HP: 24/29, Unsettled
Gnasher: Grigor's Hound: Move: 12", AC: 5, HD: 2+2, HP: 6/11, AT: 1, D: 1-4

PC Magic:

None currently.

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

The savage son of the north rounds the corner, and the dim lamplight he had been following is abruptly snuffed out. In the pitch darkness, he fumbles for a torch and his tinder box.

"What in Mitra's name is going on?!"

[ChubbyPixie]

Upon hearing the commotion from the west, Kiri will quickly close the door, pocket the key and run to the others to confront whatever new abomination has appeared to devour them, unsheathing his oddly fashioned two-handed sword as he goes.

[Urson]

Zahra
Zahra backs away a few steps. Get back! Back!

[hedgeknight]

Zahra backs away a few steps. Get back! Back!

Dahinna doesn't have to be told twice! She backpedals a bit and fumbles for one of her newly made torches. "Where's Grigor?!? What the hell happened? Cruloc?"
She hears the Cimmerian likewise fumbling for a torch and says, "Here! I have mine ready. Just light the damn thing!" her voice breaks, near hysterical in the darkness.

[ravenn4544]

Amethu urges action at the strange object before them! "Let me through! Kill it! Burn in!" He tries to move forward to enable his sorceries to have an effect.

[jemmus]

Torix can only loose arrows in the direction of the briefly-glimpsed horror.

THAC0 [1d20+2]=18+2=20[1d6]=2 [1d20+2]=3+2=5[1d6]=3

[Inferno]

The Caverns of Thracia, Pictland, the World of Hyboria
Day Twelve. Afternoon? 22nd day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia






Suddenly, the adventurers are plunged into pitch darkness.

Torix hears the inhuman shrieks of the immense, unimaginable thing growing louder! It's getting closer! The Pict savage desperately fires arrows into the blackness that blinds him, knowing neither whether he hit or miss!

On the other side of the secret door, bedlam has broken out. "Where's Grigor?!? What the hell happened?" "Get back! Back!" "What in Mitra's name is going on?!" "Let me through!" Blind, Cruloc fumbles with a torch and Dahinna wrests it from him, hoping he'll fill his hands with something more deadly. In alarm, Amethu pushes past them all, stepping on Gnasher, as Zahra recoils backward in primal loathing.

Bearing light, Kiri joins them just as Dahinna's torch blazes to life and they can see again.

They can see the unthinkable.



Within the towering, translucent horror, Grigor is slowly being digested alive (-7hp more), immobile and unable to scream.


Actions?!


Map Detail:

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

Behind the DM Screen:

Initiative: Party: [1d6]=5, Monsters: [1d6]=6 Monsters win.
Thing attacks blind Torix: [1d20]=1 Misses. No fumbles in this game.
Damage to Grigor: [2d4]=7

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 4/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 17/17, Spells: 6/8 1st lvl, 4/5 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 32/45
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 1: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 19/25, Torch
Grigor: Zamoran Nomad Cleric/Fighter 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 7/29, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, Paralyzed
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 20/21, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Torch
Torix: Pict Savage Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 28/28
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 1, HP: 24/29, Unsettled
Gnasher: Grigor's Hound: Move: 12", AC: 5, HD: 2+2, HP: 6/11, AT: 1, D: 1-4

PC Magic:

None currently.

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[ravenn4544]

Amethu stumbles forward, a bit more aggressively then he prefers, however time is of the essence. His first spell is lend what aid he can to enable Gnasher to fight the thing from the inside!

Cast enlarge on Gnahser

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

"Mitra have mercy!" gasps the terrified rogue upon seeing the jelly-like creature literally eating one of her companions. She wishes she hadn't seen it; could have lived the rest of her life without so much of a glimpse of such a sight. But here it is, right in front of her.
"Cruloc! Take my torch! Burn it!"

[Urson]

Zahra
A rope! A pole! Something I can reach with! Zahra looks around at the others, searching for the tool she needs to reach Grigor.

[jemmus]

Torix is glad of the return of illumination. He draws his shortbow and looses arrows at the thing as quickly as he can.

THAC0 20
[1d20+2]=14+2=16[1d6]=3 [1d20+2]=12+2=14[1d6]=3