Chapter 10: Secret of the Sleestaks

[SilverBen]

@Rex
Finver withdraws from the bars at the sight of the reptilian and kneels at Draupadi's side with gentle prodding. "Lady Draupadi, Lady Draupadi! Come now, please! Arise to the aid others, if you can." He will remain with her and guide her to the bars of the prisoner's cell. He updates her quicky, "These Sleestaks are not trustworthy hosts! It appears we are prisoners among two others, one of whom is the victim of cruel experiments..." he points to the reptillian, "Can anything be done for him? The other," he points to the ape-man, "has told us his name is Ambrose and fears he is at risk of being their next experimental subject - as are we all. "

[Rex]

Draupadi

"Finver, what? Oh." She gets up and moves to the bars, looking over those behind them. Whispering, "I am not sure, come closer so I can see you better."

Did she regain any spells?

[redwarrior]

Connak jumps, startled by Fivner's statement.. He's personally unsure whether the party are prisoners or merely guests until "night" is over. These other two are definitely prisoners. But not all that are imprisoned are imprisoned falsely.... Connak moves a bit a way to ponder and catch a cat nap. I crack me up.

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo sighs as the malformed prisoner is revealed. It's not like he wasn't expecting something horrible. If it wasn't this, It'd be something else.

"I'd take it easy with the circus talk, buddy. I don't care one way or the other, but my human friends might vote against busting you out of here unless you take it down a notch," he says. "Say, what's beyond the bars on the other side of your cell? Another room? A passage?"

[Inferno]

City of the Sleestaks, Beneath the Barren Wasteland
Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Ten. Night? April 5th, 912 CY








Ambrose's stiff upper lip abandons him. "I don't know what they've done to him. Or what they'll do to me!"

Yul asks, "This dream time of the Sleestaks. How long does it last?"

Uncertain who is throwing their voice, Ambrose replies to Fiefo: "Not entirely sure. I usually sleep through it. Eight hours? Ten?"

Fiefo reprimands Ambrose for not believing that humans can speak. Then, "Say, what's beyond the bars on the other side of your cell? Another room? A passage?"

Admonished, Ambrose answers, "A tunnel that curves from view. It's empty except for a door I've never seen opened. The Sleestak jailer comes through the tunnel to feed me the most unspeakable things."

Maskelyn rouses as Connak retires for a nap. Mistrustful of their cold-blooded hosts, Finver awakens his friend, Draupadi. The priestess of Dhianha asks the stricken, malformed prisoner, "Come closer so I can see you better."



If the stricken abomination-Altrusian can hear her, it gives no reply.

Ambrose starts to address Fiefo again, then looks down and says to no one in particular, "It has no eyelids, like the rest of the creepy things. But I believe it's been unconscious the entire time I've been here. Sometimes it speaks in a delirium, in its own frightful language. I'm afraid to get too close in case it's contagious!"

He looks up at the ratman with pleading eyes, "Can you really... 'bust me out of here'?"


Actions/Replies?


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet. PCs are purple. Sleestaks are green. Altrusians are orange. Ambrose is brown.





PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 19/19
Draupadi: Human Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 34/34, Spells: 4/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 26/26
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 3: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 31/31
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 32/39
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 34/34, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl, Lantern
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 31/38

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

End of the World (game description)
Strange New World (maps and realms)
Memory Tapes (the story so far)
Viewscreen (the story so far in images)

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

Listens in to the conversation with Ambrose. "Maybe he dream walks." he says in reference to the Altruisian. "I knew of tribal medicine men whose spirits would leave their bodies and wander the the heavenly realms, staying in a trance like state until the spirit returned. They often cut their physical eyelids off so that they permanently maintained some aspect of 'vision' even while their body slept.

Perhaps your cellmate is in that position?"


He offers an explanation for the state of the creature and then wonders if it had any links to the 'cave of enlightenment' across the cavern. The Sleestaks seek knowledge, purpose, vocation. The Altruisian had spoken of 'destiny' so that alluded to a fate, predestination, a seeking kind of theology of mentality.

Unless we decide to bust Ambrose out and with the expectation of several hours enforced rest ahead, the lawman bunks down.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn cringes a bit, hearing what has/might have happened to the Altrusian.

Hey Ambrose- is there a lock on that other door- that you can get to, that is?

We might not want to break Ambrose out- we might want to break in with him. Depending, of course, on how the Lizard people treat us.
If we decide they're the bad guys, that other door might lead to a place they don't want us- and that they don't expect us to be. "Always hit 'em where they ain't," as The Bugs says.

[Inferno]

DM:

Maskelyn asks, "Hey Ambrose- is there a lock on that other door- that you can get to, that is?"

"Yes," says Ambrose, still gazing down. "The jailer carries the key."

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo does a little mental geography. "Yeah, it seems like the way to that side over there is through the 'forbidden door.' I bet they don't want us going through there, though. Tell you what, we'll check it out, see what we can figure out," he says. "In the meantime, as long as we're stuck in here, I'm gonna catch some zzz's." He curls up in a corner and soon the light in his cybernetic eye dims and goes out.

[Rex]

Draupadi

Draupadi will head back to get some more rest.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Great, Doc. Does it have a keyhole on your side?

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan is starting to loose his patience being cooped up. He investigates the lock to see if he can break it from where he is.

We still have our weapons right?

[SilverBen]

Finver rubs his bearded face in thought, "When Dream Hours end, perhaps we investigate just who's in charge of this city, and how this poor fella is any different from the rest of us? And that should clear things up a bit..." he pulls the sling of his war hammer tight around his neck and shoulder until the hemp squeaks in tension, "...one way or another. Eh?"

[Inferno]

City of the Sleestaks, Beneath the Barren Wasteland
Forbidden Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Ten. Night? April 5th, 912 CY








In the guest chamber of the Sleestaks, everyone lies down to sleep except Finver, Ko-Nan and Maskelyn.

The gnome conjurer asks Ambrose, "Does the door have a keyhole on your side?"

Ambrose replies, "Um, no, but if I had the key I could reach through the bars to unlock the door."



Finver the dwarf grouses, "When Dream Hours end, perhaps we investigate just who's in charge of this city, and how this poor fella is any different from the rest of us? And that should clear things up a bit... one way or another. Eh?"

"Well I for one would certainly appreciate that!" says Ambrose.

Meanwhile, Ko-Nan the barbarian grows tired of captivity. The savage warrior reaches through the portcullis, seizes the great padlock in his hand and judges its might.



He estimates that shattering it would create too much noise. Perhaps he could pass a weapon through the bars and use it as a lever for his prodigious strength to pry open the lock.


Actions?


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet. PCs are purple. Sleestaks are green. Altrusians are orange. Ambrose is brown.





PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 19/19
Draupadi: Human Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 34/34, Spells: 4/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 26/26
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 3: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 31/31
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 32/39
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 34/34, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 31/38

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

End of the World (game description)
Strange New World (maps and realms)
Memory Tapes (the story so far)
Viewscreen (the story so far in images)

[SilverBen]

@Urson

Finver shakes his head looking at Amrbose and his cellmate in pity and says, "I could smash that rusted relic into dust with my hammer, but its just too large to fit through those bars." He scans the party and their trappings, "But, maybe something narrower would just squeeze in and be long enough to break the shackle with some leverage..." until his eyes widen in delighted discovery upon reaching the gnome. He smiles in satisfaction, "Maskelyn, try fitting your staff through those bars!"

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn hesitates, looking at his handcrafted staff. I dunno, Doc. It's the only thing I've got left from my father. And it is only a thighbone, after all. I'd hate to get it broken.

[Rex]

Draupadi

"Maybe we should wait until we know a bit more before we do something that will definitely draw attention."

[redwarrior]

Connak rolls over and continues sleeping.

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

Tests his mettle against the metal, seeing if any rusty weak spots can bend slightly to allow the chimp man to ease through.

He strains but the bars pliability is too strong.

Sheriff Yul tries to bend the bars vs 7% [1d100]=17

[SilverBen]

"Maybe we should wait until we know a bit more before we do something that will definitely draw attention."

"Now, I must protest Lady Draupadi. I'm not gonna wait to act and then wind up looking like that fellow..." titling his headtoward the mutiliated Altrusian.