Chapter 21: Pact With The Devil

[ravenn4544]

Mouser sits limply as Telkis heads off. He asks again amid the confusion about what's happening, and what they mean by going below. His eyes grow a little darker at the thought. "Is it another abyss like last time..?"

[rredmond]

Gathering his wits, the little hobbit sighs and calls to the half-elf. "The lid itself I've seen up close," the shudder comes outside of his control, "it is not Ranger's work. Let me come with you and test my skills again with no full moon thwarting me." Rudolph won't sheath his weapons to check the altar lid until he is there, and the others are watching his back. He calls over his shoulder to the Druid as he leaves, looking up at the trees,"Bo, the halflings have an ancient, if distant, affinity and friendship with Ents... I truly hope we can help them."

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur waits with Bo for the others to return.

[Inferno]

The Strange Black Altar of the Haunted Wood, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Five. After midnight. Wednesday, November 16th, 576 CY
Cold, foggy, cloudy






At the witching hour, the haunted wood is as dark as the Devil's soul.

The grey druid asks the tortured Ents what dread horrors lie beneath the heinous altar to unspeakable gods. Just the thought of it sets the beleaguered tree creatures crying in sorrow and anguish.



Brevos, Ingrid, Rudolf and Telkis approach the unholy black altar and they sense a mounting dread that overshadows their very souls.

By the torchlight behind them, they see the altar's surface is now clean of Rudolf's blood. Tiny holes, pitted within the lines of blasphemous inscriptions, serve to drain away the blood of the altar's victims. Draining the blood into the altar.

Suddenly, before Rudolf can examine it further, the top of the stone altar opens like a coffin! Just a crack, but enough to reveal something they'll remember for the rest of their lives!




Then the lid flies open!





And out lunge nightmarish horrors from beyond the grave!




Bloodthirsty crimson-soaked demons emerge as if from Hell! (Z1, Z2) The howling, depraved fiends reek of the charnel house! (Please Save vs Poison and post your actions regardless of the roll's outcome.)

Then, as if in answer to their loathsome shrieks, from out of the darkness comes the witches' hymn of bonechilling malevolence! "'Ai! 'Ai! y'gatu l'il ro'kanah Shub-Niggurath! 'Ai! 'Ai! Shub-Niggurath!"

(Please Save vs. Spells and post your actions regardless of the roll's outcome. Your Wisdom's magical attack adjustment counts.)

The shroud of mist distorts the unnatural voices that emanate from the pitch darkness. (seemingly in the direction of the question marks)

As if the trees know what's going to happen next, the tormented faces in the bark release bloodcurdling screams of terror!


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet.





PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 15/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 13/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl, Tied
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 18/22, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl and 2/4 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 4(3), HP: 20/30, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 0/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 4/16
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 17/32
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 5/9, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl and 0/1 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

• Invisibility (Urdur): Target: self

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)

[rredmond]

Rudolph jumps back from the altar and chanting, hopefully toward the rest of the party that hung back. He's not running away but giving himself time and space to work. If he had sheathed his dagger and sword, he takes them out as he does this, preparing for the onslaught he knows all too well. He screams as he does so, so that everyone is aware of the danger, because he feels that the chants are like an annoyingly overplayed song at this point. I'd rather hear the old hobbit ditty, Baby Shark!! he screams to no one in particular.

Save v Poison (9): [1d20] = 10; Save v Spells (11) [1d20] = 7 if ever there were a time to invoke the hobbit gods! And no effing breaks were had, saved versus poison, but failed against spells. I'd be okay with scraping by on the Poison roll if that one, and the spells one weren't shite (pretty sure those are my best saves too) Ah well!

[wolfpack]

save v p -[1d20] = 16

save v s -[1d20] = 13

attack [1d20+1] = 9+1 = 10

brevos will attack if he can

[ravenn4544]

Mouser hears that unholy speech tug at this soul. With his senses about him, for the time being, he urges Bo and Urdur to untie him. "Untie me so we can help destroy whatever is making that vile sound! Don't leave me here like this!"

Save vs Poison (13) [1d20] = 1
Save vs Spells (12) [1d20] = 3

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Fully expecting to find something like this arising from the altar, the cleric was prepared. Raising her holy symbol, she speaks firmly and clearly. Holy Tritherion commands you to flee!

Save vs Poison (9):[1d20] = 17
Save vs. Spells (14): [1d20] = 17
Turn undead [1d20] = 14

[ChubbyPixie]

Save vs. Poison (13): [1d20] = 2
Save vs. Spells (13): [1d20] = 8
Uh oh...

With a wild, startled cry, Telkis raises Cranach to bean Z2 with the pointy end:
Morningstar +1 (THAC0 19): To Hit:[1d20+1] = 1+1 = 2, Damage: vs s/m [2d4+1] = 4+1 = 5, vs L [1d6+2] = 5+2 = 7
...but something is very wrong.

[OGRE MAGE]

Save vs. Death, Paralysis, Poison (9) [1d20] = 17

Save vs. Spells (14) [1d20] = 11 (+1 if that helps)

Bo hangs his head, wishing he would have just blown the thing up, with or without Hothhil inside.

Hoping Ingrid can deal with the monsters, the druid keeps his eyes out for any trouble drawing closer as he listens to the chanting of Mouser and the nearby witches. He starts to wonder if the afflicted trees and ents were helping the witches the whole time out here.

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur ignores Mouser's cries for help for the time being. He waits, invisibly, ready to cast a spell if he sees the opportunity.

Save vs poison (14) [1d20+1] = 3+1 = 4

Save vs spell (12) [1d20+4] = 10+4 = 14

[Inferno]

The Strange Black Altar of the Haunted Wood, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Five. After midnight. Wednesday, November 16th, 576 CY
Cold, foggy, cloudy










To the screaming of the trees, necrotic graveyard horrors lunge out from the black hollow altar at the heroes, while brides of the Devil croon blasphemous psalms older than Man. Their eerie eldritch orisons threaten to end this conflict forever, instantly entrancing one hero after the other; Bo, then Brevos, then Mouser, Rudolf and finally Telkis in their insidious hypnotic embrace!

Only Ingrid and Urdur stand against the tide of loathsome undead pouring from the altar, leering faces smeared with Rudolf's blood! Undeterred, the young priestess holds forth her holy symbol and proclaims, "Holy Tritherion commands you to flee!"

The heinous dead cannibals shriek and wither at Ingrid's command, skulking back into their reeking hole beneath the evil altar, cursing, howling and whimpering!

With their unliving servants driven back, the witches of Vicar's Head have no choice but to revise their diabolical designs. And that will require their concentration.

Suddenly, the sacrilegious incantations cease! The spell is broken. The heroes have free will again, or what passes for it in this dark, terrible world.

Still bound at the wrists, the Grey Mouser cries, "Untie me so I can help! Don't leave me here like this!"


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. Question marks note the last seeming locations of the fell voices.


Non-required Reading (rolls and rulings):

Neither side is Surprised.
Initiative: Party: [1d6] = 6, Monsters: [1d6] = 1 Party wins.
Number of undead turned: [1d12] = 10. Rounds turned for: [3d4] = 8

PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 15/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 13/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl, Tied
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 18/22, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl and 2/4 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 4(3), HP: 20/30, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 0/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 4/16
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 17/32
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 5/9, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl and 0/1 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

• Invisibility (Urdur): Target: self
  Turned Undead (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)

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

The moment the creatures turn away from Holy Tritherion, the cleric turns and runs as well. Exhorting her companions to do the same, she shouts Get clear! Bo, light it up! She runs to Mouser and begins trying to undo his bonds.

[wolfpack]

We have to buy Bo time.

Brevos charges after the vice to the right side of the map

Attack if needed
[1d20+1] = 7+1 = 8

[rredmond]

"Distance weapons, distance magic, anything to keep them on their toes!" Rudolph says in an insistent Irish whisper, and pointedly ignoring Mouser's cries for help as his chest aches. As he moves out of lightning area of effect (he hopes) he loads his sling and stops only to get a good (if hopeless) aim at the nearest chanting voice. I think that's at NW for Rudolph. Which is good, because he won't hit the charging ( ) half-elf in the back, hopefully the roller allows him to hit something, or scare the witch's poop out of something. "No way Tritherion will trick those dead things into thinking witch blood tastes like miruvor, is there?" He adds to Ingrid with, what he hopes is, a winning smile, "considering the hopeless circumstances we are in and all".

Sling (THAC0 14) [1d20] = 2; DAM [2d4] = 6
Good to know the die roller pretty consistently hates me.

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis will charge towards the last known location of the chanting witch on the right and attack if he can:
Morningstar +1 (THAC0 19): To Hit:[1d20+1] = 8+1 = 9, Damage: vs s/m [2d4+1] = 5+1 = 6, vs L [1d6+2] = 6+2 = 8

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo speaks calmly to Ingrid as he prepares another spell.

“I still don’t trust him, and don’t know why you would either. Look at him! He is still covered in the halflings blood. If that little wretch starts chanting again or tries to kill anyone else in the party, the initial target for my lightning will be his head.”

When everyone starts running right, Bo casts a spell at the area to the left, at the spot he last saw or heard the chanting from the witch. Entangle centered at the (?) He then warns his friends.....

“Stay away from the area to the west, I will attempt to ensnare the chanter where they stand!”

[SocraticLawyer]

Partially because Rudolf brought it up, but mostly as a distraction, Urdur begins casting his last remaining spell. He creates the sound of 12 men singing that old hobbit ditty, Baby Shark. The sound originates near the witch to the east. Hopefully the sound will drown out the witch's incantations.

Urdur appears to be ~75 feet from the easternmost ?, which is within his range for Audible Glamer. He tries to center the spells effect next to the ?. Since he's not casting it AT the witch, he should remain invisible. I hope.

Edit--if it's not clear from the post, the illusionary singers have that song on Repeat. The intent is to drown out the witch to the east, while Bo entangles the two to the west.

[Inferno]

The Strange Black Altar of the Haunted Wood, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Five. After midnight. Wednesday, November 16th, 576 CY
Cold, foggy, cloudy






The coffin-like lid of the black altar shuts behind the heinous undead cadavers, driven back by the holy power of Ingrid's piety.

For a chilling moment, the only sound is the shrieking of the tormented trees.

Then, from out of the pitch darkness of the haunted woods that surround them in every direction, female figures emerge, veiled in black. (V1-3)




Behind them follow three women, young and comely. (W1-3)




The lovely women smile alluringly and speak in eerie synchronization, saying something dreamlike and ethereal that cannot be understood by mortal ears.
(Ingrid, please Save vs Spells to act. Bo, please Save vs Spells TWICE to act. Your Wisdom's magical attack adjustment counts. Good luck.)


Actions?! (Your enemies have won initiative and have changed the board enough that I will allow you to alter your actions mid-round if you want. If you wish to retain your actions (and your rolls) that's fine too. Up to you.)


Map:

One square = 10 feet.


Non-required Reading (rolls and rulings):

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

We are momentarily stopping mid-round.

PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 3: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 15/31
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 13/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl, Tied
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 18/22, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl and 2/4 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 4(3), HP: 20/30, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 0/3 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl
  Rudolf Rassendyll, Halfling Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 4/16
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 17/32
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 5/9, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl and 0/1 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

• Invisibility (Urdur): Target: self
  Turned Undead (Ingrid): Duration: 6 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)

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo

Save vs. Spells (14) [1d20] = 19

Save vs. Spells (14) [1d20] = 4