A Glimpse Into The Evil That Men Do...

[Grognardsw]

The Thing From the Vortex – Round Two

“You are free – now fight to keep freedom!” yells Derwin the elf, slamming all the levers in the first cell row. A motley crew of 20 warriors, mages and who knows what bolt from their cells and engage the massive horror before them. Swords slice, axes cleave, spells are cast, guns fire. King Arthur, freed by Haraldr, wields Excalibur in a dance of steel. Batman, freed by Sereniti, throws a handful of explosive charges. It is an epic maelstrom of heroic action, blood, gore and ichor.

The massive monster of chaos lashes out with dozens of mouths, claws, pincers, bones, octo-limbs, spittle, insults, and acidic vomit against these new threats. More than half of the brave heroes of many worlds perish. Mjolnir and Markus are each lashed (5 HP damage Mjolnir, 8 HP Markus.)

Mjolnir the duergar and Markus the unholy warrior join Elric in battling the creature. Markus swings mightily and hacks off a multi-eyed-and-mouthed octopoid limb. Mjolnir’s flurry of axes lands two blows deep into the pseudo-flesh. Elric’s sword Stormbringer continues to drink.

The monster is occupied by this sudden onslaught, leaving the remaining Fellowship of Chaos to battle as one against the encroaching cube of gelatinous death that is a mere 30’ down the hall from them. With a prayer to patron Asmodeus, Sereniti the warlock blasts a cone of infernal energy at the cube. It strikes impressively, spraying gelatini all about the corridor. Kondro the assassin fires two arrows deeply into it, shaving off more of the thing. Sulle the Red hurls a flask of burning oil which strikes the cube and sets it afire. Penuttler the madgician chances ...which streaks out ... obliterating any remaining cube.

The corridor is a mess of geletini, but a clear path lies before the adventurers! Screams of horror and pain from behind them make it hard to think.

Actions for Round Three!

[Grognardsw]

The Thing From the Vortex - Round Three

The chaos thing lashes and gurgles about in a frenzy of insane malignancy. It has taken mighty blows and powerful magics. Blood, ichor and gore splatter and rain down.

The bodies of fallen heroes lie broken and eaten around the massive creature. More still fight it. All are injured, many gravely so, and the tide seems against them.

Mjolnir and the Wearloga siblings are caught up in battle lust fighting the creature of Chaos. Mjolnir slices deeply into a large tentacle. Markus' sword thrust is disrupted by a flying decapitated head, the neck of which is wrapped in a long colorful scarf. Sereniti calls forth another infernal blast which blows apart a large eye.

Elric whirls Stormbringer in arcs of screaming destruction. His body is lacerated and blood covered yet he seems berserk with energy.

The Chaos thing blindly thrashes dozens of clawed and spiked tentacles. Mjolnir is sliced through his mail (5 HP), Markus pummeled (3 HP) and Sereniti spiked (4 HP). The thing then emits a noxious stinking cloud (those in the room please save vs. poison.)

***

Meanwhile, Penuttler, Sulle, Derwin, Haraldr and Kondro flee down the corridor. Kondro fires two arrows into the monster as he backs away. Penuttler and Sulle quickly search the remains of the cube and find a sword, axe, a large singed translucent green gem, several dozen partially melted gold and silver coins, and other unidentifiable pieces of equipment.

As the adventurers pass through the rough section of corridor with the rock faces, they see their elf comrade coming from the other direction!

Actions for Round Four!

[Grognardsw]

The Thing From the Vortex - Round Four

Horror and insanity rocks the chamber. The war cries of the handful of remaining Lost Heroes can hardly be heard over the screaming, gibbering, sucking, spitting thing of the vortex. It whirls swirls and kills.


The brownish noxious stinking cloud smells like putrid anus, but Mjolnir, Markus and Sereniti keep their stomachs. Mjolnir lands two more axe blows, rupturing an oozing cyst and splintering a cretaceous pincer. Two swirling spiked protuberances gash the duergar deeply (10 HP damage.) The stench assault disrupts the Wearlogas' strikes. Markus' blade thuds against a random scaled section of the creature, then he is crushed by a slab of gibbering flesh (7 HP) that blacks the anti-paladin out (at -3 HP.) Sereniti's infernal blast veers off and strikes Elric! (fumble.) The battle-crazed albino glares at Sereniti. His black blade lunges, seemingly pulling Elric's arm, and plunges into Sereniti. She gasps as some of her life force is sucked from her mortal coil. She collapses (0 HP left, half XP drained.)



Haraldr the demoniac cleric is strangely attracted to the death and bloodshed. He would see more for great Mother. Bask in the sounds and sights of pain, suffering and death. The priest calls forth healing powers on himself (8 HP.) Then runs up the stairs to the second level cell lever panel, intent of feeding more blood and souls to his dark gods. As he reaches the second floor balcony two serrated, mouthed tentacles lash mindlessly at him (9 HP damage.)

Sunshine returns, pausing at the entrance to take in the anarchy of slaughter. He calls for retreat then fires an arrow at the looming monstrosity. The shaft sinks into a mass of pulsating flesh. The elf sees Markus and Sereniti fall and heroically bolts after them.



Kondro, Penuttler, Sulle and Derwin pause at the end of the corridor. Sulle's hands are full with cube loot - a large gem, sword and axe. They hear distant cries of insanity and slaughter from whence they came.

Actions for Round Five!

[Grognardsw]

The Thing From the Vortex - Round Five



Red eyes glow in darkness. Asmodeus smiles down upon Sereniti, who floats in blackness. "Unpredictability and anarchy are the essence of Chaos. Such will be the end and beginning of this world. I will have your soul pactmaster, but now is not the time."

***

Haraldr the dark one reaches the lever panel and frees the second floor prisoners. "Fight for your lives!" he screams. The injured Haraldr then prepares a healing spell.

Two dozen lost heroes bearing steel, sorcery and superpowers attack the thing from the vortex. Tentacles are cleaved, skin flayed, flesh torn, eyes ruptured, mouths pierced. Great is the pain. The thing begins collapsing, its many limbed body gyrating in deadly rage and hysterics. A dozen heroes are thrashed about in the process. A barbarian cleaves and is himself cut in twain. A red-and blue-garbed god in his own world falls before strange magics. The Kwisatz Haderach implodes some of the Thing but is himself subsumed. An old wrinkled man yells “one for the gipper!” and is philibustered into the stone floor. A drow elf wielding two swords melts under spewing acid. And so it goes.



A fanged sphincter is about to eat Sereniti's head when Sunshine the elf pulls her to safety. Quick on the elf's heels is Mjolnir, whose martial passion has dimmed, and who now drags Markus out of a puckered hole full of hairy hissing cilia. Sulle the Red arrives to help.

In the safety of the halls beyond, Penuttler plots with Derwin and Kondro on how to persevere and succeed in the quest for the Runestaff.

Actions for Round Six!

[Grognardsw]

The Thing From the Vortex – Round Six

Sunshine, Mjolnir and Sulle drag the unconscious, dying Serenity and Markus to the safety of the corridor while the fight continues to rage on. Sunshine administers the Elixir of Health to Sereniti, and she is miraculously brought back from the brink of death. But woe is she looking upon her brother Markus. Sereniti’s remaining Elixir is given to the fallen warrior; he shows healing but is still unconscious.

Derwin watches over them with concern. Kondro covers them by firing two arrows that speed expertly into the gyrating form of the chaos Thing. Penuttler is nowhere to be seen. 

Haraldr the cleric is on the second level balcony watching with strange fascination the death spreading before him. He finishes his heal blessing on himself (1 HP.) He shakes his head and tries to make it out alive. He is lashed (6 HP damage) by a spiked tongue whipping out from a fleshy flower whose 12 eyes glare malignantly.

Actions for Round Seven!

***

The Thing From the Vortex - Round Seven

The Lost Heroes' punishing attacks have reduced the thing of Chaos to half its size. It screeches and gibbers at the sword thrusts, axe hacks, arrow piercings, and spell energies that bombard it. The monster in turn has taken down two thirds of the Heroes.



Haraldr ducks into a cell to imbibe his Elixir of Healing (9 HP.) The demoniac cleric intends on freeing the last of the prisoners.

The other adventurers are safely down the corridor. Kondro continues to fire arrows at the creature (6 HP damage.)

Actions for Round Eight!

[Grognardsw]

The Thing From the Vortex - Round Eight

Sereniti's blast of infernal energy splashes against the creature of Chaos. One of Kondro's arrows pierces a acid spitting phallic pseudo-pod. More Lost Heroes fall - King Arthur, Fafhrd, Severin, an amazon warrior in gold and red wielding what must be a magic lasso - but the creature is now reeling.

Haraldr races up the stairs to the third level. Along the way he dives out of the way of a putrid tentacle tipped with an eyed sphincter with a circular row of jagged teeth. The cleric reaches the panel and hits all the levers opening that floor's cells. A dozen more warriors strange and powerful leap forth to battle the creature. One mightily thewed warrior in loin cloth howls like an ape and leaps from the balcony onto the Thing.

He is swallowed hole.

Back in the corridor the Fellowship of Chaos scrambles. Sulle shouts orders. Penuttler and Sunshine are nowhere to be seen.

Actions for Round Nine!

[Grognardsw]

The Thing From the Vortex - Round Nine

"Anomalous subsurface environment does not compute! Danger, danger Will Robinson!" whirs a metallic voice. The monstrosity of Chaos lifts a metal cylinder with arms and glass top and throws it against the far wall 50' away.

The vortex creature is getting pummeled but fights relentlessly. A pointy eared elf in a blue shirt says calmly, "fascinating but highly illogical" before a massive pincer decapitates him. Elric of Melnibone is buried in flaps of flesh, not able to swing Stormbringer. But the black blade spins by itself like a crazy top, drilling through the amorphous mass. A black cloaked figure wearing a broad-rimmed hat laughs maniacally and fires small thundersticks from each hand, yelling "the Shadow knows!"

The monster is fully occupied as Sereniti the warlock fires another blast of energy into it. Kondro fires still more arrows into it. Haraldr the demoniac runs down stairs from third to first floor, pauses for the right moment, and bolts to the corridor to rejoin his party.

"SHAZAM!" A sudden bolt of lightning strikes down from the air and hits not the monster, but a young boy who suddenly transforms into a herculean red-garbed man with a bolt insignia on his chest. He flies with blinding speed into the creature and deals it catastrophic damage.

It is torn asunder, scattering blood, ichor, acid, putrid mist, and flesh like a veritable geyser. It shoots all the way down the hallway splattering the Fellowship of Chaos. It burns and stinks and causes instant headaches.

Then the whole chamber shudders, walls and floor crack. A barely perceptible wave of whitish energy flows from above, passing through chamber and hallway both, through the monster's remains, Lost Heroes, and adventurers alike. It continues into the ground. It all takes about five seconds.

Suddenly all is quiet. The creature is dust. The Lost Heroes are gone, disappeared. The Fellowship of Chaos looks on gobsmacked, but safe.

[Grognardsw]

Now that the Fellowships of Law and Chaos have met, my ongoing public posts will be in this public thread, Law vs. Chaos - Battle for the Runestaff! : viewtopic.php?p=116625#p116625

Please feel free to lurk. Law and Chaos will make their posts in their respective private forums, and I'll adjudicate and put them all together in the public thread.

1 square=10', T=table, S=statue, F=fountain. If needed, exact locations can be stated by letter/number, for example the top level of the ziggurat is at R-15.

The room is immense, stretching 370’ long by 280’ wide. The ceiling is 30' high. The adventurers guess it was a function room back in Lady Myshella's day - perhaps a ballroom. There are faded tapestries on the walls, large balconies along the north and south walls accessed by stairs going 20' up, a huge fireplace at the east wall, two parallel rows of six columns rising to the ceiling, a central ziggurat rising five levels by stairs, large dry fountains east and west of the ziggurat, a 15' statue to the north and south of the ziggurat, and old and dilapidated furniture (tables, chairs, divans) in the three corners, and holes in the floor in the northwest corner.

Floating in the air 8' above the top of the ziggurat is the Runestaff. It is four feet long made of a black wood, unadorned of decoration. A white glow surrounds it.

The Fellowships of Law and Chaos have sighted the Runestaff, and each other! First round actions are being compiled...

[Grognardsw]

As they clash for the Runestaff, the adventurers behold their enemies... nine on nine in a battle royale...

The Heroes of Law...

Ianin


Flint


Andover


Idwillen


Honnilee


Bjorn


Shen


Poltux


Raquinel

The Anti-Heroes of Chaos…

Kondro


Markus


Mjolnir the deep dwarf


Penuttler

Don't ask...

Haraldr


Sereniti


Go-Sai


Derwin the elf


Sulle

The Granbretan in a rare moment of not wearing the Clock Mask, of the Order of the Clock, Granbretan’s science-sorcerers.

The earth trembles at viewtopic.php?p=116625#p116625