Chapter 24: Human Sacrifices

[ravenn4544]

A part of Mouser's mind no occupied by spell casting wonders if he should have planned ahead and cast this sooner.......

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome sings louder- until the Silence spell shuts him up , and attacks again.
[1d20+1] = 15+1 = 16 melee
Longsword s/m [1d8+1] = 5+1 = 6

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur hangs back. He keeps his torch and dagger ready. He looks first behind the group, to see whether anyone or anything is attempting to ambush them from behind whilst they are busy with the vine.

Then he focuses on the two bodies on the other side of the vine, wondering if any of his magic will be useful against them.

[rredmond]

Realizing there is nothing to lasso with his rope, Rudolf joins Urdur in looking back. He actually moves further from the fray, to use his ears as well as his eyes if possible.
While doing so he replaces rope with daggers and scans the walls and ceiling to ensure they haven't changed in any way.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo stays put, leaving his torch on the ground in case he needs to cast again.

He watches the movements of the vines and the monsters inside the barricade carefully, hoping to learn something from their motions before he acts again.

[Inferno]

The Lichway, The Lost Shrine of Ancient Evil
The Dark Mountains, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Twenty. Long after midnight. Thursday, December 1st, 576 CY







Shrieking alien vines labor to strangle Jerome to death! (-5hp)

Suddenly, Rudolf and Urdur feel a spine-tingling premonition, as if something terrible was slithering across their graves.

They wheel around in time to see an immense horror crawl out from the black shadows behind them!



The gigantic tarantula's poisonous stinger stabs at the grey druid! Bo turns and lifts his wooden shield without a moment to spare!

With prayers of veneration, Ingrid's divine power silences the writhing vine web creature! Instantly, Mouser's continued chanting can be heard again.

Jerome, Telkis and Brevos are struck deaf as the unearthly screams of the living tendrils are immediately smothered in the abrupt hush! Brevos and Jerome soundlessly cut and hack at the plant barricade but have yet to cleave a path through it!

All of a sudden, the shrouded corpses on the floor of the skull chamber stop convulsing. Once more they lie as quiet as the dead.

And then they sit bolt upright!





Actions?!



Map Detail:



Map:

One square = 5 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory. Asterisks and black dots by the room numbers don't represent anything.


Non-required Reading (rolls and rulings):

Initiative: Party: [1d6] = 2, Monsters: [1d6] = 4 Monsters win.
Vine Web attacks Jerome, Telkis, Brevos: [1d20] = 11, [1d20] = 8, [1d20] = 8 Hits Jerome.
Damage to Jerome: [1d8] = 5
Gigantic Tarantula charges Bo? (1) or Rudolf? (2): [1d2] = 1. To hit: [1d20+2] = 2+2 = 4 Misses Bo.

PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 31/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 19/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 22/22, Spells: 3/5 1st lvl and 3/4 2nd lvl
  Jerome, Human Paladin 3: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 15/20, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 30/30, Spells: 3/6 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl, Torch at feet
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 16/16
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 4: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 34/34, Torch at feet
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 2/11, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl and 2/2 2nd lvl, Torch

PC Magic:

• Detect Magic: (Bo): Duration: 9 rounds.
  Strength (Mouser): Target: Jerome. Casting time remaining: 7 rounds.
  Entangle (Bo): Target: Center of skull chamber. Duration: 8 rounds. Vine-web creature is unaffected.
  Silence, 15' Radius (Ingrid): Duration: 7 rounds.

Player Resources:

• Tale of Terror (the story so far)
  A Dark and Terrible World (maps)
  Blasphemous Iconography (the story so far in images)
  Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome swipes one hand at the rope burn on his neck, and sees the skeletons stir as he does.
He reaches out to St Cuthbert and shouts (or attempts to) Begone, thou foul creatures!
turn undead [1d20] = 2

[ravenn4544]

Mouser grudgingly abandons his spell... and takes up arms against the god-awful spider attacking.

Scalpel (THACO 20) To Hit [1d20] = 12, S/M/L Dam. [1d8] = 6
Cat's Claw (THACO 20) To Hit [1d20] = 10-2 = 8, S/M Dam. [1d4] = 3, L Dam. [1d3] = 1

[SocraticLawyer]

Realizing that the group is low on options, stuck between a vine and a huge spider, Urdur sheathes his dagger, pulling out his last flask of oil instead. He lobs it at the giant spider ...

Throw flask of oil at big spider [1d20+2] = 5+2 = 7

... but his aim is thwarted by an untimely sneeze.

Achoo!

[wolfpack]

with a vine wall between Brevos and the undead he turns to face the more immediate threat, the spider
[1d20+1] = 3+1 = 4

[OGRE MAGE]

Happy to let the fighters take his place at the deadly trough, Long Bo backs away from the huge spider, knowing he may be sorely needed if this thing stings one of them.

Grabbing his torch again, he moves to the mass of web vine against the wall directly behind Ingrid. There he applies the open flame to the strange howling substance to see if it will burn.

He looks up as he moves, hoping the spider doesn’t have any friends around.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Seeing the giant spider, the cleric goes on the offensive, casting Spiritual Hammer and attacking the enormous arachnid.

I'm at work waiting for a case to get going, so I don't have access to my PHB. If you want to roll for me, Inferno, great, otherwise I'll do it at some point.

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis' his attention drawn by the commotion behind, turns to see the lumbering arachnid horror. With but the smallest hesitation - why else was he here - he hurtles forward to confront the thing and prevent it from reaching the casters:

Morningstar +1 (THAC0 17): To Hit:[1d20+1] = 9+1 = 10, Damage: vs s/m [2d4+1] = 4+1 = 5, vs L [1d6+2] = 3+2 = 5

[rredmond]

Rudolf attempts to leap on the spider's back and bring his short sword and dagger to bear!
If the jumping on the back thing is too flashy (or silly) I'll just move to the side to give more of the party a chance to attack this thing -- that there is a BIG spider... of course I have yet to roll d20s so we shall see if it matters at all!
S. Sword [1d20+1] = 2+1 = 3, DAM sm [1d6+1] = 5+1 = 6 /l [1d8+1] = 7+1 = 8 But of course
Dagger [1d20] = 1, DAM sm [1d4] = 2 /l [1d3] = 1 I think I officially hate the roller now... aloha goodbye roller

[Inferno]

The Lichway, The Lost Shrine of Ancient Evil
The Dark Mountains, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Twenty. Long after midnight. Thursday, December 1st, 576 CY







The silenced web of vines nearly strangles the life from Telkis and Brevos (12hp and 13hp damage, respectively!)!

Beyond the murderous wall of writhing fibers, within the chamber of skulls, the dead rise up! Slowly, as if awakening from this very nightmare, the chilling things stand upright, disturbing a plague of winged parasites that had infested their empty rib cages. Skeletal hands form an obscene mockery of prayer. And in that dreadful moment, a third unliving horror is revealed, rising up from behind the unholy altar!



Fighting the grasping, clutching vines that seek his throat and eyes, Jerome soundlessly calls upon his divine lord to drive off these heinous undead! In this darkest of places, the paladin's silent plea goes unanswered!

Meanwhile, behind the adventurers, the gigantic tarantula lunges forward to attack!



Rudolf and Long Bo evade its deadly sting! The grey druid retreats, risking one glance upward for any other crawling horrors! He passes Ingrid as she calls upon her god's holy wrath and it hammers the colossal arachnid but not fatally!

The rest of the heroes also divert their attention toward the hair-raising spider but fear ruins their aim! Urdur sends his last flask of oil crashing wide! Rudolf cuts himself in a failed attempt to leap atop the tarantula's back (2hp damage)! The blades of Telkis, Brevos and Mouser are beaten down by the alarming spider's immense scuttling legs!

Telkis and Brevos are suddenly assailed by the sounds of battle again, but not the inhuman shrieking of the vine web!


Actions?!



Map Detail:

One square = 5 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory. Asterisks and black dots by the room numbers don't represent anything.


Non-required Reading (rolls and rulings):

Initiative: Party: [1d6] = 4, Monsters: [1d6] = 5 Monsters win.

Vine Web attacks Jerome, Telkis, Brevos: [1d20] = 3, [1d20] = 20, [1d20] = 20 Special hits to Telkis and Brevos. This game has critical hits and fumbles, however this creature does extra damage when it rolls high to hit. So I'll use that ability in place of critical hits, and won't double the rolled damage.
Damage to Telkis and Brevos: [3d8] = 12, [3d8] = 13
Gigantic Tarantula attacks Bo? (1) or Rudolf? (2): [1d2] = 2. To hit: [1d20] = 7 Misses Rudolf.
Tarantula opportunity attack on Bo: [1d20] = 3 Misses.

Ingrid: Spiritual Hammer: To hit: [1d20] = 14, damage: [1d4] = 4 Hits.
Rudolf: Fumble: [1d8] = 6 "6: Wild swing: Attack a random target, friend or self, for ½ damage. No Str or Dex bonuses are applied to the attack roll." Bo just retreated. Characters with the same actions go in Dex order, so Telkis and Brevos haven't arrived yet. So I'll say the random target is Rudolf.
Fumble: Rudolf to hit self: [1d20] = 17, half damage: [1d2] = 2 Hits self for 2 damage.

PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 18/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 19/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 22/22, Spells: 3/5 1st lvl and 2/4 2nd lvl
  Jerome, Human Paladin 3: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 15/20, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 30/30, Spells: 3/6 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl, Torch at feet
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 14/16
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 4: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 22/34, Torch at feet
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 2/11, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl and 2/2 2nd lvl, Torch

PC Magic:

• Detect Magic: (Bo): Duration: 8 rounds.
  Entangle (Bo): Target: Center of skull chamber. Duration: 7 rounds. Vine-web creature is unaffected.
  Silence, 15' Radius (Ingrid): Duration: 6 rounds.
  Spiritual Hammer (Ingrid): Duration: 3 rounds.

Player Resources:

• Tale of Terror (the story so far)
  A Dark and Terrible World (maps)
  Blasphemous Iconography (the story so far in images)
  Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

[wolfpack]

Brevos again tries to hack the spider

[1d20+1] = 10+1 = 11
[1d12+1] = 10+1 = 11

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur begins a mystical incantation that he hopes will aid the party against the spider. Perhaps when it is dealt with, the group will only have three undead horrors and a vicious vineweb to contend with, he thinks.....

Casts Blindness on the spider.

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome continues his assault on the web.
[1d20+1] = 9+1 = 10 melee
Longsword s/m [1d8+1] = 4+1 = 5

[rredmond]

Cursing the gods that have abandoned this place to the evil that is, Rudolf wipes the blood he drew on himself on his leathers. Gathering his strength he springs toward the spider again, with his usually trusty short sword and dagger combo:
S. Sword [1d20+1] = 12+1 = 13, DAM sm [1d6+1] = 3+1 = 4 /l [1d8+1] = 1+1 = 2
Dagger [1d20] = 5, DAM sm [1d4] = 3 /l [1d3] = 3

[ravenn4544]

Mouser continues the attack against the nightmare before him.

Scalpel (THACO 20) To Hit [1d20] = 19, S/M/L Dam. [1d8] = 8
Cat's Claw (THACO 20) To Hit [1d20] = 9-2=7, S/M Dam. [1d4] = 2, L Dam. [1d3] = 1