Chapter 10: Secret of the Sleestaks

[Inferno]

City of the Sleestaks, Deep Beneath the Forbidden Zone
The Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Ten. Night? April 5th, 912 CY







In the secret world beyond this one, the astonished explorers struggle to comprehend what their disbelieving eyes behold!

Against Maskelyn's dire warnings, Connak and Mungo try to understand the enigmatic sorcery-engines of the hidden realm behind the wall, to no avail! Ambrose concurs with Maskelyn, asking, "Is this wise?"

Neither Fiefo, Finver nor Ko-nan can bend the bars of the torture chamber! Draupadi studies a strange magical artifact in the wall nearby, tests its glowing diadems and suddenly, the bars rise up into the ceiling of their own volition! But the tormented Atrusian is still manacled to the wall. Delirious, he struggles to answer Draupadi's questions about time.

Fiefo asks, "How do we stop them, old... ah... man?"

The Altrusian elder raves, "By stopping their insidious spell at its source! We could have been their pets! We could have been their food! Instead we are their unknowing slaves!"

Searching the strange chamber, Yul finds many inexplicable, unidentifiable objects. Then he opens an iron-handled drawer filled with bizarre spectacle-lenses.

"There!" shouts the shackled Altrusian monk, his voice rising in desperate urgency, "There! They don't yet suspect what they have seized from us! Don those! Don them now and thou shalt see!"




Actions?!



Map Detail:

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

Behind the DM Screen:

This post covers 5 rounds of activity.
Bend Bars (Ko-Nan and Finver): [1d100]=51, [1d100]=85 Both fail.
Draupadi: Five minutes of puzzling: [1d10]=3, [1d10]=9, [1d10]=9, [1d10]=4, [1d10]=4 Success!
Connak: Five minutes of puzzling: [1d10]=7, [1d10]=10, [1d10]=6, [1d10]=8, [1d10]=3 Task not yet complete.
Mungo: Five minutes of puzzling: [1d10]=7, [1d10]=1, [1d10]=1, [1d10]=8, [1d10]=4 Task not yet complete.

PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 19/19
Draupadi: Human Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 22/34, Spells: 3/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 11/26
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 3: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 20/31
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 25/39
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 20/34, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl, Lantern
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 31/38

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]

Fiefo starts to open his mouth to reply, then simply shrugs, walks over to the drawer and tries on one of the strange pair of spectacles.

"The guy seems legit" he says as he raises them to his face and peers through...

Wisdom? 9. Intelligence? 10.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn takes a set of goggles and puts them on.

[SilverBen]

Finver mutters a dwarven curse under his breath at the futile effort he gave, as if that would change the impervious nature of the bars. He is momentarily confused when the stubborn bars effortlessly rise from in front of him. He scans the room behind him and, when he realizes Draupadi was responsible for opening the torture chamber, cheers, "Well done, my Lady! This good fortune comes ta us on yer merit!!"

Finver observes the spectacles that Yul finds and heeds the advice of the prisoner to wear them. Taking Maskelyn and Fiefo's lead, he loops his hammer strap back over his shoulder and hurries from the torture chamber to retreive one of the sets of spectacles for himself. "Perhaps we've all been blind as worms until now. Let's all see things with a new set of eyes, shall we?" He'll take another pair (if more are available) and toss it to Ko-Nan.

With the spectacles worn, he'll rescan the perimeter of the room for anything new to learn. Sensing the desperation of the prisoner, Finver asks, "What can we do first ta help ya?"

[redwarrior]

Connak will wait a minute or so to observe the effect on those wearing goggles. If nothing bad seems to happen after a slow count of 60, he will slide a pair over his eyes, assuming some are still available. He will listen closely to the answer to Fivner's question.

[Rex]

Draupadi

Draupadi studies the manacles holding the Altrusian to see if she can free him. "We are trying to free you, then you can show us how to defeat them."

[redwarrior]

Connak hadn't realized that the captive was also manacled until he saw Draupadi examining them. He'll hurry over to see if the lock is one he can pick.

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

The Lawman thinks a bit about what is being said. It seems the giggles help perceive truth or at least see through some illusions. Maybe we are also being deceived but don't know it.

" Ambrose, put one of these on also." he says offering a pair to the monkeyman.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan ignores the goggles as they are tainted by filthy magic. He moves to the southern door and listens.

[jemmus]

Finver's mention of "blind as worms" makes mole-man Mungo's stomach rumble. Excuse me, sorry about that, he apologizes. He thinks, "I didn't get to be 70 years old by putting on spectacles every time a traumatized Altrusian says to. Besides, I'm already wearing thick goggles." He continues to try to figure what the fascinating gizmos do. One magically raises the bars to the cell, they know that. What other fantastic and powerful things can they do?

Mungo examines the devices for 2 more minutes (7 minutes total).

[Inferno]

City of the Sleestaks, Deep Beneath the Forbidden Zone
The Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Ten. Night? April 5th, 912 CY








In hidden territories behind the City of the Sleestaks, the tormented Altrusian's rant reaches a fevered pitch! "There! They don't yet suspect what they have seized from us! Don those! Don them now and thou shalt see!"

Ambrose, Fiefo, Finver, Maskelyn and Yul wear the strange spectacle-lenses at the urgent insistence of the distraught Altrusian monk. The perspective they offer is a strange and murky world, devoid of color!



"I can't say I like them," says Ambrose.

Mungo ruminates over the bizarre sorcery-engines as Connak and Draupadi enter the torture chamber.

Ko-Nan moves to the southern door but before he can reach it, it suddenly flies opens and out lurches a Sleestak, awake during the Hours of Mystery!




Ambrose, Fiefo, Finver, Maskelyn and Yul peer at the Sleestak through their strange spectacles and cannot believe their eyes!




"Yes! The veil is pierced! Now you can truly see!"


Actions?!



Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible, all else is from memory.
PCs are purple. Sleestaks are green. Altrusians are orange. Ambrose is brown. Blue = ???

Behind the DM Screen:

This post encompasses one minute.
Mungo: one minute of puzzling: [1d10]=9 Task not yet complete.
With Ko-Nan moving to the door to listen at it, I'll rule the party is not surprised.

PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 19/19
Draupadi: Human Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 22/34, Spells: 3/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 11/26
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 3: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 20/31
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 25/39
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 20/34, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl, Lantern
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 31/38

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

Maskelyn hurries to the square east of (44) , then casts Phantasmal Force (lightning bolt) Fulgur Illusio!
IF he can't manage this in one round, this is his intent for next round.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan reacts instantly! Within an eye blink, he lashes out with the stock of his axe to silence the creature from raising any alarm!

[1d20+2]=2+2=4

[ChubbyPixie]

"I knew it. This explains everything," says Fiefo. He whips out his scimitar and hisses. If the thing makes a move to attack anyone, he'll lash out with the blade.

Attack with Scimitar (THAC0 18): To Hit: [1d20+1]=19+1=20 Damage, s/M/L: [1d8]=4

[Rex]

Draupadi

Draupadi moves to block the cell so it can't enter, mace at the ready in case it tries.

Mace [1d20]=18 to hit [1d6+1]=6+1=7 damage

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

For a moment he had thought Ambrose might have been part of the problem not answer. So the ape-man looks quite normal and is as shocked at the Sleestak unveiling as we are.

I think instinctively, he would draw his weapon and trigger a bolt off at the alien looking lizardman.

Sheriff Yul. Handheld crossbow [1d20+3]=13+3=16 damage [1d6+2]=1+2=3

[jemmus]

Mungo wasn't the best fighter, so he did'nt move to the space directly before the Sleestak thing. But he moved forward to block it from getting further into the room, past Ko-nan and Yul, forge hammer raised. What's it doing awake? he asked rhetorically. Or is it not a real Sleestak?

[redwarrior]

Connak follows his team's lead in striking down this new threat! He nimbly leaps forward and attacks from the flank.


attack with scimitar THACO 19 [1d20+3]=16+3=19 Damage [1d8+4]=3+4=7

[SilverBen]

Finver gasps at the appearance of the Sleestak. He lowers the sack held over his shoulder and slides it along the floor to the nearby (east) wall (in order to stowe it for safekeeping during this combat encounter). He unloops his war hammer from its sling and steps up to Connak's side with his war hammer. He finds his moment to attack and swings at the Sleestak...

Finver's two handed war hammer attack: [1d20+2]=15+2=17, damage: [1d6+2]=1+2=3

[Inferno]

Secrets are revealed as the adventure continues in... Chapter 11: The Parallax Reality