Chapter 29: Sacrament of Blasphemy

[Urson]

Jerome
Leave. NOW. Jerome scoops up Urdur and heads North. He stops after a few paces, to make sure the others are coming.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

Wait- let me heal Urdur, the cleric implores the Paladin before casting a spell of healing upon their unconscious companion.

Cure Light Wounds [1d8]=2

[SocraticLawyer]

In the space between life and death, Urdur once again sees a vision of his former companion. His faithful hound, Mittens, greets him.

This time Mittens is eating a sandwich, and speaks in perfect Gnomish. Hrútur hét bróðir hans? Hann bjó á Hrútsstöðum, Hann var sammæður við Höskuld.

You're back here again already? You need to get another dog.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser remains, unfortunately, awake and aware in his helpless state. He hears bones somehow alive dragging across the stone - is it moving away? Or is it finally the end....

[OGRE MAGE]

Not sure how he survived the ordeal with the monster, Bo is glad to sacrifice one half spent torch for his life. He rushes back the way he came only to hear that the others still remain in the dead end hallway, right where they were when he left them.

Hearing the group eventually coming his way, the druid feels around for a dry portion of floor where he can lie down, close his eyes, and pretend he was killed.

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome pauses long enough to let Ingrid do her thing.

[Inferno]

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







The deathless cadaver at the bottom of the pit trap screeches; impaled, trapped, unable to escape!

Ingrid bestows a divine miracle upon Urdur and the stricken gnome awakens, greatly weakened and unable to stand. (+2 to HP, STR and CON)

Telkis bears his weight, and Jerome supports Mouser's, and the adventurers stagger north from the dead end, abandoning the accursed treasures of the age of Vecna.

They don't get far before Ingrid's torch reveals Long Bo lying lifeless on the ground!


Actions?!





Moments earlier, Long Bo feels his way off the ladder into the disorienting pitch of fathomless darkness.



Desperate shouts and inhuman screeches echo from the blackness. The grey druid feels his way in their direction, looking for dry ground, when he sees something glimmering faintly in the blackness.

Scrawled upon the wall are glowing letters, visible only in the dark; the luminous secretion of some subterranean lifeform employed as ink! They read:

ESCAPETH!

N W S E N U E N W D W D W U S S W D W W U E N D E S

Torchlight blossoms from the direction of the cries, and the phosphorescent letters start to fade. Bo lies down and closes his eyes and his injured companions limp into view!


Actions?!


Map:

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

Behind the DM Screen:

This post covered two rounds of actions.

PC Status:

Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 7/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl (-12 to STR and CON)
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 25/25, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 2/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, Torch
Jerome, Human Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 20/20, Laying Hands: 0/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 5: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 38/38, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 34/34
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 2/11, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl (-9 to STR and CON)

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)
Find Traps (Ingrid): Duration: 36 rounds
Obscurement (Bo): Duration: 14 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)

[SocraticLawyer]

Thanks, says Urdur weakly, to both Telkis and Ingrid.

He makes a mental note to acquire another guard dog.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

No! cries the cleric upon seeing the druid lying (apparently) lifeless on the floor. Rushing to his side, she checks for signs of life, praying to Tritherion it is not too late to save him!

[ravenn4544]

Mouser's head dangles off his shoulders as he is dragged along.

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome looks worried and stressed, wanting to help his comrades and watch for danger in all directions.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo opens his eyes and lifts his head. "What happened to you guys?"

Before any more fuss is made, the druid gets back to his feet and tries to get everyone moving again.

"I was cornered by the monster and had to use the torch I had as a distraction. However, when I climbed back up here in the dark, I noticed some writing on this wall."

Urging that the torch be moved around the northern corner so the words can be seen again, Bo shows the others what he found.

"If we each memorize 4 of the letters in this sequence, we might be able to find an escape.....ith."

"The first U will get us back to the top of the stairs. Mouser, can you remember E N W D? Ingrid, you get W D W U. Jerome, take S S W D. Telkis, W W U E. And if Urdur can recall N D E S, we should have a chance to find a way out of this unending dungeon."

"Ready? Let's go!"

[Urson]

Jerome
Jerome smiles tightly, glad to see that Bo was playing possum. It is a good plan.

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

W D W U, got it. So, there was some undead creature in the box that attacked Urdur and Mouser, because they took items from the box, while ignoring the rest of us. Jerome realized it was because it was guarding the items so we got them away from us. One item was kicked onto the trap and the creature fell into the πt when it went to get the dagger. Hopefully, it will rot there for eternity, but if nothing else, it should ignore us now as we don't have anything from the box. At least, this is what we think.

[OGRE MAGE]

Ingrid Esthof

W D W U, got it. So, there was some undead creature in the box that attacked Urdur and Mouser, because they took items from the box, while ignoring the rest of us. Jerome realized it was because it was guarding the items so we got them away from us. One item was kicked onto the trap and the creature fell into the πt when it went to get the dagger. Hopefully, it will rot there for eternity, but if nothing else, it should ignore us now as we don't have anything from the box. At least, this is what we think.

”Into the Pit? Well, that is quite the Testament. I am sorry the items weren’t more useful.”

[ravenn4544]

Mouser likely can hear and remember. He doesn't look capable of speech, however, with his body drained of all vitality.

[Inferno]

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







The screeching of the living cadaver, trapped at the bottom of the pit, echoes through the dark corridors of the catacombs!

At the mouth of the dead end, the doomed heroes are reunited after a harrowing false alarm.

At the grey druid's bidding, Ingrid places their last torch on the ground around the corner. In the pitch blackness, ghostly letters appear, scrawled upon the stone wall!

ESCAPETH!

N W S E N U E N W D W D W U S S W D W W U E N D E S

To judge from the archaic first word, the message might be hundreds of years old.

The trapped adventurers believe it to be a map out of the labyrinth: "north, west, south, east, north, up, east..."

By the wan light of the spectral message, Bo advises they each memorize one fragment of the puzzle. If they all live, they'll have the entire key among them. Jerome and Ingrid agree. But, still stricken from the vampiric attack of the horrific revenant, Mouser and Urdur cannot stand, let alone walk.

Suddenly, in the darkness, they hear a dreadful, sickening sound! Distant slithering and murmuring emanate from the nearby ladder pit!




Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. Green exclamation point = the direction of the sound of the horror.
Lighter areas are visible, all else is from memory. Darker grey shapes on the floor are slime trails.





PC Status:

Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 3/4: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 7/19, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl (-12 to STR and CON)
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 25/25, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 2/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, Torch on the ground
Jerome, Human Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 10, HP: 20/20, Laying Hands: 0/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 5: Move: 12", AC: 9, HP: 38/38, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 34/34
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 2/11, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl (-9 to STR and CON)

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)
Find Traps (Ingrid): Duration: 30 rounds
Obscurement (Bo): Duration: 8 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)

[Urson]

Jerome
Time to go. Jerome scoops up one of the two stricken- whichever the bigger one is- and looks around. North from here... Which way?

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof

North... The cleric looks around trying to remember the first few turns, pointing in the directions they would need to go. Pointing back toward Bo, she calls out the proper direction. That has to be North- I don't think the turns match any other way. Plus, the other direction is collapsed, so if it is our way... She will do what she can to help carry the incapacitated as they make their escape.

[ChubbyPixie]

In a timely demonstration of his gnomish subterranean navigational skills, Telkis will confirm directions underground as they start on their mad dash to escape. Or as mad as they can dash while dragging two of their friends.

I'm imagining Wesley in Princess Bride here:
"Gentlyy!" - Mouser
"Gentlyyy!" - Urdur