Chapter 11: The Parallax Reality

[SilverBen]

In a genuine demonstration of surrender, Finver grasps his war hammer with widespread arms and raises it level above his head, while repeatedly bellowing to his comrades, "Stand down! Step back!"

He studies Ko-Nan and Connack to assess their injuries. With one hand, he lowers his hammer's head to the floor by its haft, and with his free hand emits a high pitched whistle to draw the attention of the injured Cat-Man and Barbarian, when he advises them, "Fall back, behind me!" and points his thumb over his opposite shoulder.

He turns to the Sleestak (S19) with furious, unblinking eyes and utters, "Yah? And now what?"

[ravenn4544]

Ko-nan, hand on axe, seethes at the fiery impasse between him and his foe. Blood drips from the blade like the sands in an hour glass marking time until death is unleashed once more.

[ChubbyPixie]

In full feral mode, Fiefo hisses loudly and sprints for the room to the west to hide just behind the corner, deciding he personally doesn't need a crossbow bolt to the chest.

[Inferno]

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








"Drop your weaponsss! Raissse your handsss! Now!"

Mangled Sleestak corpses splayed all around his feet, Finver complies. But his companions will not submit!

Fiefo sprints into the torture chamber where he finds Ambrose bitterly muttering, "Ambrose, arm yourself! Ambrose, smash the walls! Ambrose, search for a way out!" Then, to Fiefo: "Your human friends are awful pushy! It's just as the Sacred Scrolls say!"

Yul moves to a God's Eye and fires his wondrous crossbow of the gods into it! The blast of cold starlight shatters the crystal!

The Sleestaks loose another swarm of sling-bolts through the shimmering wall of flames! True to their word, they do not target Finver. A bolt pierces Ko-Nan's chest, nearly penetrating his heart! (7hp damage)



Mungo charges at the inexplicable sorcery engine with his forge hammer!

The reverberating crash jolts the deranged Altrusian prisoner into alertness and he takes in their desperate situation. The alarm is raised. All across the City of the Sleestaks, their enemies mobilize against them! The secret passage to the north is now likely filled with insect-reptilians hungry for their deaths! They are trapped in a dead end with no way out. And his rescuers will not surrender. Nor will he!

With determination the Altrusian grabs the doppelganger's golden bracelet off of Maskelyn's wrist. The stunted sorcerer dares not resist, else the illusion that keeps the horde of Sleestaks at bay will evaporate!

"I've seen them use this!" insists the tormented elder as he experiments with the band's prominent disc. Suddenly it sparks to life with writhing electricity! Shocked, the Altrusian drops it!




It flashes with a bright, magical light!





When the flare subsides, a luminous cobalt hole in the floor has taken the bracelet's place!




It speaks in the voice of a woman! "Attention. Your wristwatch has malfunctioned. This entryway is temporary and will disappear in 20 seconds. 19. 18..."


Actions?!


Map Detail:

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

Behind the DM Screen:

Initiative: Party: [1d6]=1, Monsters: [1d6]=1 Tie!
Sleestaks attack Yul, Draupadi, Connak, Ko-Nan: [1d20]=8, [1d20]=4, [1d20]=8, [1d20]=12 Ko-Nan is hit.
Damage to Ko-Nan: [1d8]=7

PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 6/19
Draupadi: Human Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 22/34, Spells: 3/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 11/26
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 3: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 20/31
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 14/39
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 14/14, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 15/34, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl, Lantern
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 24/38

PC Magic:

Audible Glamour (Maskelyn): Duration: 2 rounds
Phantasmal Force (Maskelyn)

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)

[Rex]

Draupadi

"Get through the hole!"

Draupadi rushes to the hole and jumps in.

[redwarrior]

Connak was unwilling to surrender as wise at that might have been. However, hearing the mechanical voice, followed by Draupadi's, He makes a feint towards one of his foes, spins on his heels and rushes to jump through the hole after Draupadi. Idea is to get through the hole. If he can tactically disengage, great. If not, it's just pivot & run.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn will hold the illusion as long as he can- while stepping back and through the hole.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan hears the shout of an exit but keeps his eye focused on the lizard men. He also will back up with the rest of the group to the exit.

[jemmus]

The Professor be praised! Mungo raises his forge gloves and snout upward before dropping into the hole.

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo does not need to be told twice to take advantage of an exit from a hopeless situation. Poking his head out quickly from behind the corner, he assesses the situation, then makes a dash for it and dives into the hole head first.

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

Takes the plunge into the hole.

[SilverBen]

Finver snags Ko-Nan by the leather straps of his armor and pulls the injured barbarian past Maskelyn, who is singularly focused on maintaining the phantasmal wall of flames. Streams of sweat down Finver's face dimly reflect the glow at the edge of the magical portal in the floor. "Don't be a fool, Ko-Nan! We'll sing of this encounter one day, but it need not be a song that tells of yer death!"

Finver releases his grasp on the barbarian's armor and casts a scowl of intimidation at the horde of doppelgangers. He shakes his war hammer above his head and contemptuously threatens them, "If I ever see ya beardless, cave-slinkin', gherkins again, I'll decorate tha walls with yer blood! Follow us, Maskelyn!" He hops forward faithfully and disappears into the magical portal at his feet.

Although I can't claim any credit for the originality of these dwarven curses, I did try to weave the best ones for this encounter based on Christopher Perkins' table in his article 'Dwarven Etiquette' in Dragon #245.

[Inferno]

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








"Attention. Your wristwatch has malfunctioned. This entryway is temporary and will disappear in 20 seconds. 19. 18..."

Like the legendary demigoddess Alice, the adventurers had passed through the looking glass into another world. And now they urgently plunge down the rabbit hole!



The glowing cobalt portal ends in the ceiling of a cave from which the heroes crash to the cavern floor! (3hp damage to Connak. 6hp damage to everyone else!)

Many of the escapees are badly injured. Maskelyn groans, "Watch out for that first step, doc, it's a lulu!"

After the wild cacophony of the siege, the sudden silence is oppressive.

Disoriented after the plummet, they regain their feet and survey their environs. The cobalt gate is gone. Somehow, all of them made it through alive. They stand in an empty cavern, illuminated by Sleestak crystalline witchlights. Nearby, the ground drops sharply beneath a 30 foot shoreline of standing water that smells like the subterranean lake of the City of the Sleestaks.



Further ahead, a natural tunnel mouth gapes.

Hung from the walls all around are the ugly banners of the Sleestaks.




But through the strange spectacle-lenses of true seeing, the banners take on another appearance entirely.





Actions?!


Map Detail:

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

Behind the DM Screen:

Initiative: Party: [1d6]=4, Monsters: [1d6]=4 Tie!
Movement segment precedes missile discharge segment, so PCs escape before the Sleestaks can fire more sling-bolts at them.
Falling damage: [1d6]=6

PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 3/19
Draupadi: Human Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 16/34, Spells: 3/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 5/26
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 3: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 14/31
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 8/39
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 8/14, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 9/34, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl, Lantern
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 18/38

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)

[Rex]

Draupadi

Draupadi casts CLW on Connak.

Cure Light Wounds [1d8]=6

I think this is the last of her CLWs.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan, spitting blood through the pain, scrambles to his feet with axe ready to strike. He scans the area. He waits three more breaths. Seeing no immediate threat his thoughts shift to survival. He will tend to his own wounds (first aid) before applying the same skills to those in need.

[redwarrior]

Connak gets unsteadily to his feet and checks his gear, while thanking Draupadi I am shamed that I didn't land on my feet from such a drop, but I thank you most heartily! Having said that, Connak will start examining our surroundings.

[jemmus]

Sorry for the OOC, but alert-- Text and action revised, but the die roll remains the same
Oof! Mungo involuntarily exclaims. He stands and rises to his full stubby height and crosses over to Connak. He removes his forge gloves, kneels and lays his paws on the barbarian, and chants in the strange squeaking/whistling mole-man language. *ping* *ping* gur e ra fel, *ping* *ping* gur e ra fel...

Cure Light Wounds [1d8]=3

The cat-man seems a little healthier, but not that much. Hmm. Well, friends, that was the last of my healing spells. Until we can get some sleep. Mumbles and grumbles to himself, A long sleep. Without a bunch of restless kids wandering off, poking around, and getting us into more action in the middle of it.

[SilverBen]

Finver moans recovering from his fall and emits squeaks of pain as he rises to his feet. He looks up to the ceiling where they fell with wonder that they all survived. As he looks around, a sudden realization of their new location comes to him. His eyes pop wide and he begins to dance despite his injuries, with a wide smile he sings,
"I'd rather be fishin, fishin', fishin', mostly any time,
In tha mornin', midday, evenin', in tha rain or shine,
Just show me tackle, an' give me bait,
Then watch me go a fishin' fishin' fishin'..." he holds each of these repeated words dramatically longer and on a higher note before concluding,
"An' all the rest can wait!" He chuckles planting his arms at his hips, quite amused by his own performance, but abruptly is silenced by winces from his own injuries.

He snaps out of the jubliant mood and eagerly points to the shores, "My friends, we have arrived exactly at our destination... don't ya remember? Tha shores where we met tha Altrusian with his family! Tha one who he said we should talk about fishin' when we get back? He had somethin ta say that them Sleestak guards silenced before they shuffled is inta tha "guest quarters" for myster hour. Let's check it out!"

[jemmus]

Yeah, I remember, friend Finver, Mungo says. The Altrusian net maker. The mole-man is so happy to have reached the lake and not be a dead body lying upstairs that he also sings a song. He does it pretty pitch perfectly, but unfortunately a little nasally. Well, actually really nasally, he's got a lot of snout for nasalness.
Well, I might have gone fishin'
Instead of just wishin'
But I got to thinking it over
The road to the river is a mighty long way
Well, it must be the season, no rhyme or no reason
I'm taking it easy, it's my lazy day

[SilverBen]

Mungo also sings a song. He does it pretty pitch perfectly, but unfortunately a little nasally. Well, actually really nasally, he's got a lot of snout for nasalness.
Well, I might have gone fishin'
Instead of just wishin'
But I got to thinking it over
The road to the river is a mighty long way
Well, it must be the season, no rhyme or no reason
I'm taking it easy, it's my lazy day

Finver chuckles along with Mungo's song lightheartedly. He slaps the Mole-mans back in cheerful encouragement and heads east to the edge of the underground lake with his spectacles worn.