Chapter 29: Sacrament of Blasphemy

[Inferno]

Chapter 29: Sacrament of Blasphemy



The Ashblood Colony, The Dark Mountains, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Thirty-seven. Afternoon. Saturday, December 17th, 576 CY
Cold, overcast




That afternoon, the doomed heroes allow themselves to enjoy the simple pleasures of a warm and heartfelt feast.

And then everything goes wrong.

At the banquet in their honor, a strange paralysis overtakes them.



Frozen with eyes wide open, they can only watch as the merry festivities slowly cease and the dissenters of Pelor end the charade. The children of the colony are quietly ushered away. Amity too.

"But they saved Amity! Must we, Reverend?" pleads John Mantle.



Reverend Ashblood replies without pleasure, "I'm terribly sorry, John. But I'm afraid so. Our sacred duty to Our God is greater than to ourselves and our petty wants - even greater than to our children. He knows what is best. But we shalt always honour and remember what they did for Amity, and what they shalt do for Him. Now come, everyone. Lift them up."




"'Tis our holy responsibility," Temperance Hill reminds John Mantle.





The congregation carries the heroes out in a solemn procession, borne outside beneath bare branches and the darkening sky some distance through the woods to an ancient church on a hill.




Its architecture and age are those of times long gone by, before the founding of Gran March when this land was the seat of the empire of Vecna the Dark Lord.

The secret church is clearly consecrated to Saint Pentival, an ancient paladin of Pelor, legendary foe of Acererak and founder of the mysterious Order of the Knights of the March. Legends tell that Pentival was brutally martyred long ago at the wicked hands of the vile servants of Vecna.

The helpless heroes are carried inside...




...and into a hidden room that holds a great stone pit.




The doomed heroes are gently, chastely stripped of all their earthly possessions except their undergarments and lowered into the pit on wooden stretchers, ropes and pulleys apparently built for this very purpose. At the bottom of the deep shaft is a dank chamber, 30 feet square, fashioned of stone bricks and lit by two torches in wall sconces. Four tunnels branch out, one from each wall. The stricken heroes are laid in the center of the floor in a thick wet slime.

The dissenters of Pelor raise themselves from the pit, pull up the ropes and stretchers and gather high above, looking down as if from a gallery. Reverend Gideon Ashblood says with genuine sincerity, "I am truly sorry for what is about to happen. Our prayers art with thou." Then he earnestly leads the congregation in ancient hymns honoring Saint Pentival.

Minutes pass this way. Maybe hours. The paralysis leaves the heroes and they can move again, speak again! But they are without weapons or even ingredients for their magicks!

The Reverend Gideon Ashblood strikes a gong and the congregation steps back, out of view, but their singing can still be heard.

Suddenly, from what might be the southern tunnel, comes the distant echo of a dreadful slithering!


Actions?! (and please read this!)






PC Status:

Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 19/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 25/25, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Jerome, Human Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 20/20, Laying Hands: 1/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 5: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 38/38, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 34/34
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 11/11, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)

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
When Jerome is free to move, he stands. When he realizes what has happened, he begins swearing.

Combat Instructor Brown was not a brilliant man, but his command of profanity, vulgarity, and obscenity were legendary. Jerome's response to the current situation would have impressed C.I. Brown.
As he expresses himself, he begins searching the pit- first the perimeter, then the floor. He's hoping for anything that can be used as a weapon- a length of bone, a loose stone, a burnt-out torch, whatever.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo blinks repeatedly, wondering if this is just another horrible dream sent from the dark mother.

When he doesn't awaken from his living nightmare, he grabs one of the torches and peers down the southern tunnel.

He wants to get in a few bad words of his own, but lets the paladin have his say first.

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis begins frantically examining the walls of the space they're in, looking to see if he can discern any other ways out and away from the slithering sound.

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur backs away from the slithering sounds. He feels along the floor for any loose stones, and picks up one or two for throwing if he can.

He does his best to analyze the stonework of the chamber they are in, wary of whatever slithers towards them.

He curses in the language of the gnomes: og er þeir sigldu af landinu, féll snær mikill á fjöll, og fyrir það kölluðu þeir landið.

Well, shit.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser curses at the never ending turns of ill fortune. He too searches for anything that can be used as a weapon. He suggests someone takes the other torch as well. He'll listen down each hallway or see if any other tracks exist to give some sense of which direction to take - or not to take.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Taking the other torch, Ingrid, too, begins trying to determine if the noise is coming from each tunnel or if one seems clear.

[ChubbyPixie]

Urdur curses in the language of the gnomes: og er þeir sigldu af landinu, féll snær mikill á fjöll, og fyrir það kölluðu þeir landið.

Well, shit.

Telkis nods in agreement.

[Inferno]

Beneath the Church of Saint Pentival, The Ashblood Colony, The Dark Mountains, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Thirty-seven. Night. Saturday, December 17th, 576 CY
Cold, overcast








Hymns to Saint Pentival echo down the deep, dark pit. At its bottom, the devout psalms are met with bitter curses.

Telkis frantically examines the dank, cold walls for a path away from the dreadful slithering sound! He finds no secret passage, just the four tunnels leading out of the stone chamber.

Urdur backs away from the southern shaft whence comes the ghastly sounds! Seeing no rocks upon the ground, he tries fruitlessly to pry a brick from a wall. The gnome finds the ancient stonework solid and sound, but would not be surprised if other areas were less so, given its inconceivable age; that of the time of Vecna's fallen empire.

Jerome and Mouser also find naught but pebbles with which to arm themselves. But they find the ground coated by a viridian slime.



Thickest in the center of the chamber, it leads away into each tunnel in trails of varying widths. There are no footprints in the vile ooze except for those made by their own bare feet.

Ingrid pulls a torch from its wall sconce and confirms that the north, east and west tunnels are each silent and branching.

Long Bo seizes the other torch and holds it aloft, illuminating the dark maw of the southern tunnel.



There, from out of the pitch beyond the light of his fiery brand, the wet slithering grows louder with every second!


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. Darker grey areas on the floor are slime trails. Circular dotted line marks the shaft in the ceiling. Question marks indicate the direction of the slithering.





PC Status:

Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 19/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 25/25, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, Torch
Jerome, Human Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 20/20, Laying Hands: 1/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 5: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 38/38, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, Torch
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 34/34
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 11/11, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)

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)

[ChubbyPixie]

"West, west, west! Look lively!" hisses Telkis and begins moving down the west passage, figuring any direction is better than staying put, weaponless. He scans the passage as they go, looking for any signs of trouble.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Since every direction but south is quiet, Ingrid hurries along after Telkis to the west.

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome nods and follows the others- then stops to wrench at one of the brackets that held the torches to the wall. ST: 15, bend bars 7% percentile [1d100]=7

IF he can get it loose on the first try, he'll take the bracket along as an improvised club. IF NOT, he'll not waste time with a second attempt.

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur follows the others through the west tunnel. He suggests the southern branch, where there appears to be less slime on the floor.

Urdur continues to check the floor for stones as they move.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser follows along looking for anything that could be used as a weapon.

[OGRE MAGE]

With a quick message for the heathens above, Bo follows the others west, taking Urdur's advice and moving into the southern tunnel. He scoops up some of the slime in his hand to attempt an identification to see if he can guess the creature that now hunts them.

"Keep singing up there you ungrateful bastards!!!! I promise you this disgusting act of treachery will not go unpunished!!!"

[Inferno]

Beneath the Church of Saint Pentival, The Ashblood Colony, The Dark Mountains, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Thirty-seven. Night. Saturday, December 17th, 576 CY
Cold, overcast







A sound of wet, unnatural crawling writhes closer from out of the southern darkness as the doomed heroes flee for their lives deeper into the dank subterranean labyrinth! A solemn hymn of Saint Pentival, beloved of Pelor, dies away behind them.

"West, west, west! Look lively!" hisses Telkis as he lunges forward, Ingrid at his heels! Mouser and Urdur follow after, futilely scanning for some makeshift weapon.

Hurrying along, Long Bo fills one hand with the ghastly viridian mucus and is instantly reminded of a snail or slug that coats their grotesque bodies in slime for protection and in order to scale vertical surfaces!

In a remarkable feat of strength, Jerome pries an iron torch sconce from the stone wall with his bare hands! (Treat as club) Suddenly, he finds himself alone and in the dark! From the south, the wet slithering echoes all around him and is mixed with something else, an eerie murmur of inhuman voices!

Jerome races to catch up and joins the others in a rectangular chamber! The stench here worsens with the fetid rot of mold and decay. A stone stairway descends into a hole in the floor.




And the ceiling is infested with flecks of crystal that twinkle mesmerizingly in the torchlight!




The heroes stand entranced! (Save vs Spells to act!)


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible, all else is from memory. Darker grey shapes on the floor are slime trails. Question mark indicates the direction of the slithering.





PC Status:

Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 19/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 25/25, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, Torch
Jerome, Human Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 20/20, Laying Hands: 1/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 5: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 38/38, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, Torch
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 34/34
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 11/11, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)

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)

[ChubbyPixie]

Save vs. Spells (13): [1d20]=1

Telkis glances at the ceiling, then really looks at the ceiling. Fascinating. Here, of all places...

[Urson]

Jerome
Save vs Spell: 14 [1d20]=18

Jerome gives the ceiling a passing glance. He notices that some of his companions are hypnotized by the glitters above, and attempts to rouse them.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser stares up at the pretty lights. "Check THAT out!"

Save vs Spell (12) [1d20]=5

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur looks up at the lights. He almost becomes fascinated with them, but remembers where he is just in time

Save vs spell (12) [1d20+3]=10+3=13

He tries to rouse any of his companions who have succumbed. He also checks the ground for any stones.