Expedition: Ablesforth: The Demon Hole: Part 2 - 30 Aug 2021

[Rusty Tincanne]

I dunno if it'd work against something so... powerf'ly infernal, but I might could try and dispel it with Eruanna's grace. Brothers Idriss and Pendleton, you both know about magic. D'you think it'd be worth it? An' at this point, how'd we know it worked?

(Before he was invisible again, Able would have asked Jaques to move the bodies to the side of the room, out of the way.)

[Zhym]

"The mandala room does not block our process, and to my knowledge removing the swimming pool of blood is not prerequisite to closing the demon hole," replies Pendleton. "Thus, I suggest we not waste magics on it for now. Mundane approaches such as carefully plotted drainage might be sufficient, when the time comes."

[Marullus]

Circling around, invisible, following the ropes, you bypass the mandala room and its blood flood instead passing through the bunk room and into the knotwork room where Neegan inadvertantly discovered the seawater trap below the trap-door floor. With Jacques' lantern glowing before you, you peer through the northern archway.

You can see only partway into the next chamber through the northern archway with your lantern's light, as its dimensions both north and east exceed the light's reach (more than 30'). You take note that the floor is mounded more than a foot deep with bleached-white bone shards and detached teeth.

Date: 31 August 2021, 11:50am
Light: Lantern (carried by Jaques) until 2:00pm
Effects: Protection from Evil (each person); Invisibility (each person)
Injuries: None

[Rusty Tincanne]

How big are these teeth? What sort of animal do they look like they might have come from? And what kinds of bones are mounded? Giant rat, human, elephant? Snake?
Able pauses, peering at the midden heaps.

[Zhym]

"That can't be good," says Pendleton. "Figuratively or literally."

"Think our protections from the infernal will ward us from whatever created those bones...or will put them back together?"

[Marullus]

Examining the bones and shards, you recognize that they are an eclectic mix of human-size, goblin-size, and large rodent. You do note that some of the teeth appear to be serpentine fangs.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Able shrugs invisibly. I've got no idea. I just hope that whatever it is is gone fer now. Or that it can't see us. But it's used to seein' in the dark, so that might not be a problem fer it. Let's just try and keep quiet as we go on through. He slowly leads the group into the room, skirting counter clockwise, being careful to make as little noise as a man in chainmail can.

[Marullus]

Jacques' lantern light bobs in the air as Ablesforth leads the group into and across the chamber, wading through the crunchy bleached bones. The far walls appear as the lantern bobs closer - the room is 50' x 50', a white plaster mosaic artwork made of bone shards cemented into swirls and patterns covers the entire wall to your right, the other walls remain the same unadorned bedrock stone. There are two reinforced wooden doors ahead of you, both secured with iron banding and visible lock mechanisms. One is at the very end of the left wall, the other is at the far-right corner of the far wall which you face.

THWOK! Bones are scattered around Jacques' feet.
THWOK! THWOK! More bones scattered abruptly near Dolph.
You are surprised as you see that five of the bone mounds are not mounds at all, but instead are massive lizards since 8' in length, their coloring and appearance blending with the bones and flooring around them. Opening their gaping mouths, another shoots out a five-foot tongue - THWOK! - and hits Ablesforth. Ablesforth jerked forward and drawn abruptly into the creature's waiting mouth as the tongue sticks to him. It chomps down hard on his leg (-5) and then (recognizing his larger size) also gores him with its horns (-2).

Surprise round over, Actions!

Date: 31 August 2021, 11:50am
Light: Lantern (carried by Jaques) until 2:00pm
Effects: Protection from Evil (each person); Invisibility (each person)
Injuries: Ablesforth (minor injuries)

surprise: Us: [1d6] = 4 them [1d6] = 6
(Party Surprised)
Attacks [1d20] = 11 [1d20] = 8 [1d20] = 8 [1d20] = 3 [1d20] = 18
Targeting [1d6] = 4 [1d6] = 5 [1d6] = 1 [1d6] = 6 [1d6] = 1
Damage on Ablesforth [2d4] = 5 [1d6] = 2

[Rusty Tincanne]

Able grunts as he is assaulted. A bit of help here, brothers? He swings his maul-turned-warhammer at the beast that has him, hoping the lizard skin isn't too protective.

Initiative roll, please.
"Persuader" (THACO 18): [1d20+2] = 11+2 = 13, dmg [1d8+2] = 4+2 = 6

[Zhym]

"Be careful walking through the bones," says Pendleton when they enter the room. He tries to stay out of the bones. "They can show your position despite invis—"

The large lizards rudely interrupt his explanation of the effect of invisible people walking through a pile of bones with a demonstration of the effect of invisible people walking through a pile of bones.

"—ibility," he finishes lamely.

Not wanting to break his concealment again, and with Ablesforth talking as if the lizard is no serious threat, Pendleton holds his attack and stays well out of combat if he can.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Actually, I had edited that post (leaving half of the original dialog, so I just edited it again to take out the party that didn't make sense). Definitely asking for help.

[Zhym]

In that case—Marullus, is there any room to web any or all of the lizards without also entangling Able and the Templars?

[Marullus]

Yes, you can web a significant portion of the room, anchoring to ceiling, floor, and a wall. Let's do it this way:

• The web will block your path to at least one door (pick one).
• It will cover [1d4+1] of the 5 lizards.
• They get a save vs para to not get stuck.
• You can avoid the one chewing on Ablesforth if you wish.
• There's no risk of webbing your stationary party members. (If they move into it to get at the lizards, they need to save.)

[Zhym]

Rusty, any thoughts? My impulse is to leave our exit open in case we need to flee. We can't easily kill stuck lizards without getting webbed (right?), so we'd better leave ourselves an out if we can.

[Rusty Tincanne]

It'll only cover one banded door, so we still have two exits. And if you do stick all the lizards not with Able, we can then light it on fire, which would inflict damage and clear our path again. Just a thought.

Able is reckless and won't have any issues with the room getting messy.

I keep wondering if we'll find some viable eggs to sell!

[Zhym]

Okay. I'm going to update the map later tonight, probably, and post then. Again, probably, because I was up working until 2:00 am last night, then at 5:30 my cat urgently needed to inform me that he could see the bottom of his food bowl. So I may just sleep tonight instead.

[Zhym]

Where is the door we entered through in relation to the rest of the room? Are we right next to the wall to the left? In the middle of the south wall? (Based on my map, being right next to the wall to the east seems unlikely.)

[Marullus]

You entered in the left corner of the wall. The walls go forward and right; the room is 50' square. The right-hand wall in the room has the bone-fresco. The outgoing doors are at the far end of the left wall and the right-end of the far wall.

Do you cast the Web spell?

[Zhym]

Pendleton casts web, leaving the south and east doors clear and leaving Ablesforth and the Templars out of its area of effect.

Working from memory. I'm assuming "south and east" are the door we came in from and the door to our right (i.e., to the room with the arrow trap).

[Marullus]

Pendleton's arcane words invoke a mass of sticky webbing filling the far-left corner of the room - it blocks the door at the end of the left-hand wall and snares two of the giant chameleons which are in the midst of it, leaving the party and the lizard chewing on Ablesforth unsnared. Two of the lizards which are closer to the periphery, are able to snap the few strands near them and scurry free of the sticky mass.

Ablesforth tries to smack the thick, scaly hide of the lizard, but can't get the leverage (miss) as the lizard's sticky tongue jerks him in again, crunching mail and bone with its teeth and horns (-8, -5). Dolph, Jacques, and Molay rush forward to aid Ablesforth; Dolph (-7) and Molay (-4) strike home, but do not deter the lizard from seeking its meal. The two mobile lizards rush to join the fray - one strikes at the invisible Molay and catches only a scattering of bone fragments for its trouble. The other keys in on Pendleton's chanting and chomps his invisible leg viciously (-8, -1).

The attacking Templars realize they are all visible now, putting Ablesforth's well-being ahead of their own. Only Pendleton remains invisible.

Actions!

Date: 31 August 2021, 11:52am
Light: Lantern (carried by Jaques) until 2:00pm
Effects: Protection from Evil (each person); Invisibility (Pendleton, Idriss)
Injuries: Ablesforth (severely injured); Pendleton (moderately injured)

initiative: us [1d6] = 6 them [1d6] = 1
Molay longsword (Thac0 15) [1d20] = 2 [1d8+3] = 3+3 = 6 Jacques longsword longsword (Thac0 16) [1d20] = 19 [1d8+2] = 2+2 = 4
Dolph Two-handed Sword (Thac0 16) [1d20] = 18 [1d10+2] = 5+2 = 7
lizard [1d20] = 13 [2d4] = 3 [1d6] = 1 target [1d5] = 4
lizard [1d20] = 19 [2d4] = 8 [1d6] = 1 target [1d5] = 1
lizard [1d20] = 15 [2d4] = 8 [1d6] = 5 target (Able)

Web Spell:
Lizards [1d4+1] = 4+1 = 5 Saves [1d20] = 17[1d20] = 16[1d20] = 12[1d20] = 6