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

[Marullus]

BTW, is the second room 30x50, or 30x60? The description says the room "extends ... 50 feet to your right," which would mean the room is 60' long including the space of the door. But I thought I'd check.

Sorry, for being confusing. I was giving total dimensions. It is 30x50.

[Zhym]

Pendleton translates the bloody inscription aloud. "Abimoleth. I wonder if that is the name of the person who left the message. Odd, though. When someone scrawls in blood, presumably while dying, you don't usually expect them to take the time to sign their name. Or perhaps the word itself is important? A password, maybe? I have read of people inscribing the word 'Elbereth' on dungeon floors as a ward against monsters. Perhaps it is something of that sort. For that matter, maybe we should try writing that word wherever we sleep. Couldn't hurt." He gets a thoughtful look on his face—not that anyone can see it.

"Anyway, I guess we should be wary of any gold we find. And speed is of the essence. Let us not weigh ourselves down. I recommend leaving any treasure we find unless it is self-evidently useful to our goal. If we survive, we can always pick it up again later."

He waits for the others to lead the way forward.

No worries, Marullus. Thanks for the clarification.

Updated map:

Demon Hole.png (266.37 KiB) Viewed 530 times

[Rusty Tincanne]

With these puzzles solved and the slime apparently not bothering the party, Able asks those with means of detecting traps ahead to the left, following the incense. Yeah. Let's keep this movin'.

[Spearmint]

Idriss

Do these headless statues pose in a position which suggests fright, danger, petrification? Or they are carved in statuesque form?

Concentrates upon the staff and tries to dweomer a safe passge through any highlighted traps. The solstice and hammer remarks come across like a curse or prophecy. The reference seems about a time, location and person or object.

Was there a famous Baudh knight or templar known as the Hammer of Chivalry?

[Marullus]

The statues are definitely carved. Idriss contemplates the various scrawled inscriptions. As a circus performer recently converted to Eruanna, his knowledge of ancient Baudhic knights is lacking, unfortunately.

Idriss, Rhe, and Kerr work their ware carefully across the empty room to the left-hand door under which the ribbon of smoke exits. They find no traps and the group moves cautiously to the wooden door, which is unlocked and untrapped.

Opening the door, your wariness is rewarded: three horrid monstrosities burst through the door as soon as it begins to open, roaring and clambering over each other with their tentacles to reach you first!


You get only a glympse -- the room beyond the door moderately sized; your door opens in the middle of a long wall, the room 50' wide and 30' across. The floor is covered in perfect hexagonal tiles, A stone dais and throne sits in the center of the room, to the left of your door. Black obsidian furnishings stand unbroken around the walls.

Actions! You are not surprised, so declare round 1. They do not appear affected by your Protection from Evil warding.

Date: 02 September 2021, 3:30pm
Light: Rhe's Torch (until 3:50pm)
Effects: Protection from Evil (Able, Pendleton, Idriss, Dolph, Jacques, Molay); Invisibility (Pendleton); magic incense (until 10:00pm)
Injuries: Ablesforth (moderately injured); Dolph (moderately injured); Jacques (moderately injured)

[Rusty Tincanne]

Able grunts in response to the infernal intrusion. He wastes no time in starting a Prayer of protection.


Prayer (60’ radius; +2 attacks, damage, and saving throws. AND -2 penalty to all rolls from enemy. It is unnecessary for the cleric to remain chanting.)


Would someone please roll initiative?

[Zhym]

Pendleton tries to spin a web over the monsters.

Initiative: [1d6] = 5
Cast web.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Initiative: [1d6] = 5

I'll let that ride. And "Ooooh! Web!!!" Nice!

[Spearmint]

Idriss Dunderhead

he doesn't recognise any of these creatures. Could they be otherworldly and extraplanar? With Eruanna' grace, such beings should not be able to touch us. Trying something a bit different and never quite sure if he has a brain intact, Idriss will mask up with his mummery heirloom and take the visual form of one of the half-head demons. Casting Mirror Image upon himself, he will call out to these guardians to cease their flailing and allow us to pass unmolested.

mirror images [1d4] = 3

[Marullus]

The limitations Idriss put into his mask limit him to impersonating races whose language he speaks. He doesn't speak infernal.

The party is quick to action! Abesforth's prayers resound through the room in a sonorous tone, electrifying friend and foe alike with the power of divine blessing or retribution. Pendleton invokes a sticky mass of webbing that fills the doorjam as it springs open, anchoring its thick strands to the walls on both sides of the doorway. Idriss multiplies himself, becoming four Idrissi. The other four Templar warriors draw their swords and leap in front of the spellcasters. The two thieves fall back to the rear.

All three of the monstrosities ensnare themselves and their tentacles in the sticky mass of webbing, trying to break through but no avail. The more they struggle, the more ensnared they become. They will free themselves, but slowly, and they now block your progress into the next room.

Leery of getting stuck themselves, the swordmen pause and look for you for instruction before nearing the webs.


Actions!

Date: 02 September 2021, 3:31pm
Light: Rhe's Torch (until 3:50pm)
Effects: Protection from Evil (Able, Pendleton, Idriss, Dolph, Jacques, Molay); Invisibility (Pendleton); magic incense (until 10:00pm) Idriss' mirror image (until 4:30pm), Prayer (until 3:36pm), Web
Injuries: Ablesforth (moderately injured); Dolph (moderately injured); Jacques (moderately injured)

Initiative: Them [1d6] = 3
Since you won initiative, I will allow Pendleton's intent to web the doorway and snare all three (allowing a save vs Para) versus the normal in-combat option of snaring one foe (no save).
Save vs Para (10) [1d20] = 4[1d20] = 1[1d20] = 1

[Rusty Tincanne]

burning the webbing will cause damage, but throwing oil on the webbing (coating the creatures) would do more damage. Then again...

Able gets fairly close to the webbing (but not close enough to get stuck) pulls out a flask of holy water and splashes it on one of the stuck monsters. If it seems to cause damage, he encourages the others to do the same.


EDIT: If he needs to roll a to-hot roll for this, and you are amenable to a change in action, Able might rather cast light on the eyes of one of the creatures.

EDIT 2: Are theses things flying or crawling on the ground? I had assumed the latter, but the description wasn't clear to me.

[Spearmint]

Idriss's

The men in the mirror pull out a short sword each and stab at the creatures flailing in the doorway webbing.

Idriss fails to swot a fly and his clones imitate his ineptitude in melee.

Short sword melee [1d20] = 8 damage [1d6] = 1

[Zhym]

"Wait," says Pendleton when Idriss heads for the webs. "I wouldn't do that. You'll just get stuck."

"I believe we are back to the quandary we had with the lizards. We can burn the webs, which will hurt these monsters but also set them free. If we soak them in oil first, however, perhaps we can do more damage. I could also fire magical missiles, but I am loathe to use up spells unless necessary."

Just checking—we can't use missile attacks through the webs, right?

[Marullus]

The creatures are rolling/on the ground (not floating).
You do not need a to-hit roll to hit with a melee weapon but do need save to not get snared.
You do need a to-hit roll if throwing/shooting at range, but it's easier when they're not moving.
You can shoot them unerringly with magic missiles. You cannot see through the webbing to hit anything behind them with a magic missile, currently.

Ablesforth splashes them with holy water, but it does nothing but moisten them. Idriss grazes one with his shortsword, lucky in that his mirrored self doesn't get snared in the webbing. (-1hp)
(counting the d20 as his save, not his to-hit, per above)


Date: 02 September 2021, 3:32pm
Light: Rhe's Torch (until 3:50pm)
Effects: Protection from Evil (Able, Pendleton, Idriss, Dolph, Jacques, Molay); Invisibility (Pendleton); magic incense (until 10:00pm) Idriss' mirror image (until 4:30pm), Prayer (until 3:36pm), Web
Injuries: Ablesforth (moderately injured); Dolph (moderately injured); Jacques (moderately injured)

[Zhym]

Does that mean the templars can fire at one or more of the monsters?

Sorry to drag this out. Basically, can we have the Templars do as much as they can to kill the monsters without killing them, then use oil, fire and missiles on the others? Or do the Templars not have bows?

Alternately, we could wait for each to work its way free, hoping they don't all get free at once. Of course, that has us waiting around, which might not be a great idea.

[Marullus]

The Templars don't have bows.

[Zhym]

Drats. I don't suppose the thieves have any missile weapons either?

I was hoping we could pepper the monsters with missile attacks while they try to break free, but if we don't have any missile weapons to do that with, I guess we're left with magic missile and burninating (well, and sleep, if we think that would work on these).

[Rusty Tincanne]

Well they aren't responding like other infernal creatures, so I am thinking Sleep is a viable option. Then again, will we want that spell if we come across goblins? Then again, will we come across goblins if we get eyeballed and tentacled to death?

Able is fine burning them down. It'll get rid of the webbing, too.

Able pulls out two flasks of oil and splashes roughly in the vicinity of the Lazy-Eye Squidlings. If it wasn't for his beard, he face would be beet red in embarassment.

2 Flasks of Oil [1d20] = 8, [1d20] = 5
That's ridiculous. But if the oil is mostly on the squidlings, he will have everyone move back to the next room (as a choke point so we can limit them to one at a time, and then have someone to light the things up.

[Zhym]

I think we didn't have to roll to hit the webs with the flasks when we faced the lizards, and the burning did extra damage.

Pendleton backs up with Able and prepares to hit the monsters with a sleep spell.

[Marullus]

Correct... you are pouring out the oil safely, as if on the floor to prep a trap. Those rolls won't hurt you.

Your action is to light it, then?