Chapter 15: Empire Under the Earth

[Inferno]

Chapter 15: Empire Under the Earth

Beneath the Desecrated Temple of Osorus, The Underground City
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Eight. Dawn?, 21st day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia





In the underground city, within the desecrated temple of Osorus, the two wisest explorers, Mako and Amethu, hesitate as they watch Loche, Garrin, Xorzen and Zahra plummet down into the ravening sand maw and be swallowed up by darkness!

The four brave adventurers crash into a large dune below and tumble out of the sandfall collapse into a circular tunnel. At the rate the sand is falling, the growing dune will soon reach the tunnel roof and seal off the sinkhole above!

An arrow drawn in the sand points toward a receding torchlight at the distant end of the sandy channel!



There, Cruloc the barbarian and Kiri the easterner plunge headlong down the tunnel, hurtling to Tjoruy's rescue without pausing to wonder what might have fashioned such a strange subterranean passageway!

With Cruloc's fiery torch to guide the way, the Cimmerian and the easterner follow the desperate shrieks of the mad prophet! They burst into a large chamber and are shocked at what they find!


Gigantic ants, tall as men and nearly twice as long, are waiting for them! Another emerges from a nearby passage, its antennae probing the cave floor.
At the far end of the sandy cavern, smaller enormous ants drag away the weakened bloodsoaked form of Tjoruy!


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet.





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 12/14, Spells: 6/7 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl
  Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 24/35
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 3(1), HP: 26/26, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 25/25
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 10/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Candle
  Tjoruy: Verulian Osoran Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 1/31, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 6(4), HP: 16/16
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 16/21

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 (Garrin, Kiri, Loche, Mako and Xorzen have breathed of the mists): 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."
  Unseen Servant (Kiri): Duration: 79 rounds

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)

[Urson]

Zahram You may have already mentioned this: what are the walls of the tunnel? Sand? Stone?

Zahra flounders out of the soft sand, getting her bearings. She gets clear of the sand, then lights a torch. Sheet updated

She trots down the tunnel toward the open chamber.

[Scott308]

Loche

Getting to his feet, the Pict brushes sand from himself. C'moan doon! We're movin` oan tae see whit's gaun oan. He then follows Zahra.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

The hairs at the nape of the stern-visaged, long-maned barbarian's neck are raised by what he finds at the end of the tunnel.

"Kiri! Strike a torch! If these creatures are of this Earth, they may quaver in the face of fire!"

Cruloc swings his torch menacingly in the faces of the monstrous arthropods. If they do not yield, he carves one with a glittering arc of his sword!

Attack w/ longsword [1d20+2] = 16+2 = 18
Damage [1d8+3] = 5+3 = 8
Damage vs. L [1d12+3] = 5+3 = 8

[ChubbyPixie]

Briefly considering the barbarian's advice, Kiri decides that he'd like instead to fend off the horse sized insect trying to mandible him in the face and perhaps then try the torch. ( ) "Tjoruy! We are coming for you! Fight THEM!*" he cries as he brings his shield up and strikes out with the Claw of Chobek, aiming for the monstrous ant's mouth parts.

Attack with Trident +1, Claw of Chobek (THAC0:19): To Hit: [1d20+4] = 12+4 = 16 Damage vs. s/m: [1d6+8] = 5+8 = 13, vs. Lg: [3d4+7] = 8+7 = 15

"Grandfather, take the large sack from my pack. Use it to distract the beasts that have the cleric! Harry them! Swat them!" he says to his Unseen Grandfather.

*Yes, THEM. I said it. I'm not ashamed.

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin rushes forward when he hears the sounds of battle. He charges at the creature attacking Cruloc, and swings his sword at the beast if he can this round.

To Hit with +1 Long Sword: [1d20+1] = 15+1 = 16; Damage: sm - [1d8+1] = 4+1 = 5; lg - [1d12+1] = 8+1 = 9

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorxen shouts up into the hole once he sees that the sand will eventually cut them off from their friends who remained above.

"JUMP DOWN NOW, OR DIE UP THERE ALONE. I'TS YOUR CHOICE!"

With that, he sprints down the sand pile to join his comrades in the battle.

If feasible: Attack w/ +2 Javelin of Men-khetu [1d20+2] = 18+2 = 20 Dam [1d6+3] = 1+3 = 4

[ravenn4544]

Amethu looks at Mako. "I don't like it - but I suppose hat choice do we have?" Amethu lowers himself down the hole. "I'll have my lantern ready to go if you can help light it..."

[Inferno]

Giant Ant Colony, Beneath the Desecrated Temple of Osorus, The Underground City
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Eight. Dawn?, 21st day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia





Beneath the underground city, Kiri is astonished to discover more gigantic insects; the otherworldly influence of Zargoth's very presence, warping men and animals over centuries uncounted into terrible mockeries of nature.

In alarm, Cruloc the seasoned warrior sees their adversary is more fearless and organized than the armies of Aquilonia! Their coordination is uncanny, as if the giant insects can read each other's thoughts!

Kiri recalls a lesson his grandfather once gave him, using ants as a metaphor to warn against judging an opponent by their size. "Despite their scale, ants are the most successful species on earth! For every man alive today, there live one million ants, found in every climate, on every continent except the arctic."

They watch in horror as colossal worker ants drag Tjoruy away with bloodcurdling efficiency. One giant insect remains behind and turns to face the threat to the colony, dragging its body on the ground, leaving chemical signals carrying urgent messages to any with antennae to read them. And another great warrior ant emerges from the southeast channel!

The enormous soldier ants on the front line fearlessly attack the invaders! Kiri evades the onslaught but immense rapacious mandibles seize Cruloc (-5hp) and hold him tight so that a long hideous stinger in his assailant's abdomen can inject him with a venom that burns his very blood! (-4hp more. Please save vs Poison or suffer another 3hp in damage!)

The other explorers rush up the sandy circular tunnel behind them in time to witness Cruloc swing his torch menacingly at the monstrous arthropods! The leviathans evince no knowledge of, nor experience with, fire. The barbarian grimly smites one with the glittering arc of his great blade, hacking open its plate-like exoskeleton and severing a forward limb at its segmented joint! Oozing a thick translucent fluid from its grievous wound, the tremendous ant bravely fights on!

Beside him, Kiri impales the segmented eye another cyclopean ant with his enchanted trident, killing it with one blow! Kiri's rucksack suddenly unpacks itself, spilling contents on the ground as a large empty cloth bag is wrenched free and flies north into the shaft where Tjoruy was carried away!

Far behind them, at the end of the round tunnel, Amethu spills out of the sandfall collapse! In the distance is a flicker of torchlight and shouts of angry men.

Above him, Mako stands in the defiled temple, before the voracious sinkhole maw, wondering which of the grim paths before him is worse!


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet.


Non-required Reading (rolls and rulings):

Initiative: Party: [1d6] = 5, Monsters: [1d6] = 6 Monsters win.
Giant Ants bite Kiri and Cruloc: [1d20] = 3, [1d20] = 20, damage: [2d4] = 7, [2d4] = 5 Cruloc is bitten for 5hp damage. There are no critical hits or fumbles in this game.
If Giant Ant succeeds with mandible bite, it may also try to sting:
Giant Ant stings Cruloc: [1d20] = 19, damage: [1d4] = 4 or [3d4] = 7 Hits for at least 4hp damage.

PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 12/14, Spells: 6/7 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl
  Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 15/35, Torch
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 3(1), HP: 26/26, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 25/25
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 10/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Candle
  Tjoruy: Verulian Osoran Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 1/31, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 6(4), HP: 16/16
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 16/21, 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 (Garrin, Kiri, Loche, Mako and Xorzen have breathed of the mists): 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."
  Unseen Servant (Kiri): Duration: 78 rounds

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)

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

Mako casts light on his quarterstaff, blows out his candle, and places it back into his pack. With his illuminated extension, he places it inside the hole to get a better view of his landing before sitting down and sliding in.

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri steps forward over the body of the slain ant to give room for the other party members to emerge from behind. He once again lashes out with his magical trident:

Attack with Trident +1, Claw of Chobek (THAC0:19): To Hit: [1d20+4] = 13+4 = 17 Damage vs. s/m: [1d6+8] = 6+8 = 14, vs. Lg: [3d4+7] = 5+7 = 12

"Tjoruy! Hang on! We're coming!" he yells. He wonders how Grandfather is doing, hoping he is able in some measure to distract the ants from their task.

[Urson]

Zahra
Zahra charges the ant that's not otherwise engaged, slashing with her sword.
att [1d20+4] = 9+4 = 13
Sword vs sm, med [1d8+5] = 4+5 = 9

[Scott308]

Loche

Tis a pumpin' bug hunt! shouts the Pict as he charges into battle with one of the giant insects.

Jeweled Dagger +1/ +2 vs. Undead (20): [1d20+1] = 10+1 = 11; Damage: [1d4+1] = 3+1 = 4; Damage, Large: [1d3+1] = 2+1 = 3

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin attacks the giant ant....

To Hit with +1 Long Sword: [1d20+1] = 7+1 = 8; Damage: sm - [1d8+1] = 4+1 = 5; lg - [1d12+1] = 3+1 = 4

...unsuccessfully.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

Save vs. Poison [1d20] = 13

URRGK!

Attack w/longsword [1d20+2] = 5+2 = 7

His lusty hill-born body resists the miscreated beast's poison, but the injured Cruloc staggers backward, and his steel passes like a vagrant wind above the thing's loathsome body!

[ravenn4544]

Amethu waits for Mako then will move further into wherever they are...

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorxen squeezes past the fighters over the dead ant and hugs the cavern wall as he moves in behind the fighting ants, hoping to attack them from behind.

Attack w/ +2 Javelin of Men-khetu [1d20+2] = 15+2 = 17 Dam [1d6+3] = 2+3 = 5

[Inferno]

Giant Ant Colony, Beneath the Desecrated Temple of Osorus, The Underground City
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Eight. Dawn?, 21st day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia





More gigantic ants race out from the tunnels to aid in the defense of the colony!

A mighty worker ant drags back a slain soldier nearly twice his size!

Before the human invaders can act, the frontline of immense arthropods advance, holding the them tight against the tunnel mouth, limiting their advance! The largest members of the worker caste, the soldier ants, have massive heads with powerful muscles and sharp-toothed jaws like serrated swords! They are the iron, the physical power, the viciousness of the colony.



The adventurers withstand the onslaught of ravenous mandibles from the fierce defenders. One maimed warrior ant bites Cruloc again! (-2hp)

The raiders retaliate against the giant soldiers' exoskeletons! Heavy armor; thick, tough, and pitted in places for resilience and strength. A pair of spines project backward from the midsection of the body to protect the waist. Spikes protect the neck, and the rear margin of the head forms a helmet. Their natural chitinous armor proves impervious to steel, repelling all attacks except two. And those two prove fatal!

Kiri and Xorzen pierce, puncture and rend asunder a brave enormous warrior that dies in the service of her collective!

Far behind the invaders, Mako summons mystical light to illuminate his fall down the sinkhole! He crashes into and tumbles down the sand dune and finds waiting Amethu waiting for him. The sandfall collapse is nearly complete. There would be no escape in this direction!


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet.


Non-required Reading (rolls and rulings):

Initiative: Party: [1d6] = 2, Monsters: [1d6] = 3 Monsters win. The ants press forward, limiting the PCs advance into the chamber.
Giant Ants bite Kiri and Zahra: [1d20] = 7, [1d20] = 4, damage: [2d4] = 7, [2d4] = 5
Giant Ant bites Cruloc: [1d20] = 20, damage: [2d4] = 2 Hits again!
There are no critical hits or fumbles in this game.
If Giant Ant succeeds with mandible bite, it may also try to sting:
Giant Ant stings Cruloc: [1d20] = 8, damage: [1d4] = 1 or [3d4] = 7 Misses!

PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 12/14, Spells: 6/7 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl
  Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 13/35, Torch
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 3(1), HP: 26/26, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 25/25
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 10/10, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Light Spell
  Tjoruy: Verulian Osoran Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 1/31, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 6(4), HP: 16/16
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 16/21, 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 (Garrin, Kiri, Loche, Mako and Xorzen have breathed of the mists): 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."
  Unseen Servant (Kiri): Duration: 77 rounds
  Light (Mako): Duration: 29 rounds

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)

[ChubbyPixie]

“These creatures are without number! We must prevent more from entering the chamber if we can, then escape. They will not stop coming!” says Kiri. He charges the ant entering from the easternmost tunnel, hoping to at least temporarily block that means of ingress.

Attack with Trident +1, Claw of Chobek (THAC0:19): To Hit: [1d20+4] = 3+4 = 7 Damage vs. s/m: [1d6+8] = 4+8 = 12, vs. Lg: [3d4+7] = 9+7 = 16

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin again attacks his chitinous foe....

To Hit with +1 Long Sword: [1d20+1] = 5+1 = 6; Damage: sm - [1d8+1] = 2+1 = 3; lg - [1d12+1] = 10+1 = 11

...and again proves unequal to the task.