Chapter 25: Tooth and Claw

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri thrusts again with his trident, but is momentarily overwhelmed by the onslaught of fur and fang.
Attack with Trident +1, Claw of Chobek (THAC0:18): To Hit: [1d20+4]=6+4=10 Damage vs. s/m: [1d6+8]=6+8=14, vs. Lg: [3d4+7]=4+7=11

Glancing around he quickly calculates the mass arrayed against them. Even killing one cur with every swing they are still at a severe disadvantage.

"Does anyone have means of fire?" he shouts. "We must frighten some away or we will fall..."

[Inferno]

The Pictish Wilderness, the World of Hyboria
Day Seventeen. Midnight. 27th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia







Now the wolves have tasted their blood. The pack is wild with bloodlust, biting and rending their cornered prey with vicious abandon! (4hp damage to Zahra! 5hp damage to Cruloc! 9hp damage to Kiri!)

With eerie prophecy, the mystic mountain of the East cries, "Does anyone have means of fire?! We must frighten some away or we will fall!..." as he is overwhelmed and falls beneath the merciless onslaught! Kiri still draws breath but three wolves advance to eat him alive!

From his vantage point atop the cliff, Torix cannot find the vengeful Raven shaman. But all around him are signs of her occult handiwork: his ruined short bow; the wolves ignoring the salmon and the Pict corpses.

Selfless, the noble savage rides the escape-rope down the cliff face and into the perilous fray! Torix lands between his fallen friend and the hungry jaws that surround him, wielding the spear forged in lost Atlantis!

Amethu grips the rope next, descends halfway and marshals arcane forces from beyond the fragile veil of this reality to ensorcel the superstitious Cimmerian!

Impossibly, Cruloc suddenly erupts outward and upward as his powerful physiognomy explodes to ten feet tall! The gigantic barbarian wields Thracian steel with a cruel vengeance, shearing through a wolf's neck in one clean stroke!



Where its head had been is now a ghastly font of crimson!

In the howling chaos of blood, fur, fang and claw, Zahra the amazon cannot bring her fearsome blade to bear!

Her sword-sister, Dahinna climbs down from the tree, creeping closer to the blood crazed wolves! Among the branches, further from the wild din, she had heard a woman's voice crying on the wind. She looks in its direction and sees a human shape standing motionless in the darkness near the moonlit cliff! (at X)


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. F = Fire. Cliff that protects campsite is 35 feet high. Bottom of map is north.

Behind the DM Screen:

Initiative: Party: [1d6]=2, Monsters: [1d6]=3 Monsters win again.
W1, W2, W3 attack Zahra: [1d20]=3, [1d20]=13, [1d20]=8 W2 hits.
W2 damage to Zahra: [2d4]=4
W4, W12, W6 attack Cruloc: [1d20]=10, [1d20-1]=16-1=15, [1d20]=8 W12 hits.
W12 damage to Cruloc: [2d4]=5
W7, W8, W9 attack Kiri: [1d20]=16, [1d20]=8, [1d20]=14 W7 and W9 hit.
W7, W9 damage to Kiri: [2d4]=4, [2d4]=5

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 4/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 4/17, Spells: 2/8 1st lvl, 3/5 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 20/54
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 15/25
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: -1/21, Spells: 0/3 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
Torix: Pict Savage Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 24/38
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 9/29

PC Magic:

Enlarge (Amethu): Target: Cruloc. Duration: 29 rounds.

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[ravenn4544]

Amethu struggles to see the source of the voice - and potentially the source of the wolves power?

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri's consciousness drifts through a white mist punctuated only sporadically by the faint sounds of an old man's cackling laugh.

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

Sneaking as quietly and yet quickly as she can, knowing every second her companions are closer to death, the nimble rogue approaches the woman near the cliff. Circling around to get behind her, Dahinna will attempt to strike her down...or at least disrupt whatever ensorcelled spell she has cast upon the wolves.
Backstab attack: [1d20+6]=11+6=17 [1d6+2]=4+2=6
I added the +4 to hit, but did not triple the damage.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

The arcane words of the Verulian conjurer echo through the air. The Enlarge spell takes hold, coursing through the barbarian's sinewed frame like molten fire. At first they rebel against the abhorrent magic, but then then his muscles swell, veins bulging with newfound strength, as he grows to a towering height. The snarls and yelps of pain which punctuate the desperate clash at the foot of the cliff are nearly swallowed by a ghastly, inhuman cry - a shriek of both of agony and vigor.

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAHH!"

Cruloc has become an earthly titan, no less than Yef* reborn! His roar of defiance reverberates in the glen, sending shivers down the spines of friend and foe alike. Teeth clenched in a malevolent grin, he grips his yard of Thracian steel, swinging it with the force of a hurricane, aiming to lay waste to the savage curs which rend his blood-striped flesh!

"Stand before me and fall! Stand before me and be damned!"

+1 Thracian sword [1d20+3]=20+3=23
+1 Thracian sword vs S/M [1d8+4]=5+4=9, vs L [1d12+4]=3+4=7

Eyes blazing with an unearthly light, he becomes an unstoppable juggernaut whose thunderous blows promise to turn the tide of battle as they cleave through his attackers!

*Editor's note: See Chapter 24, page 3! viewtopic.php?t=12539&start=40

[jemmus]

Torix wants to get to the shaman, wherever she may be. But there are plenty of wolves in between. Two his left one carries his two arrows in its back. He tests the ancient spear for the first time.

Please ignore the +1s. Those are for the flint spear, I forgot to edit the macro before I rolled.
[1d20+1]=5+1=6 s-m [1d6+1]=5+1=6 l [1d8+1]=3+1=4

[Inferno]

The Pictish Wilderness, the World of Hyboria
Day Seventeen. Midnight. 27th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia







Mad with blood, the wolves spring at the throats of their cornered prey!

Crimson jaws snap hungrily around Zahra, but death passes her on all sides by breathless margins!

Too eager to deal death, Cruloc does not evade it! (4hp damage)

Saving Kiri's life, Torix falls victim to the ravenous storm that would have claimed his friend! (7hp damage!)



Bitten in the face and nearly overwhelmed by the savage attack, Torix falls to one knee and cannot strike true with his fabled spear of Atlantis!

Cruloc's fury grows commensurate with his frame, and the barbaric giant roars to ring the sky as he cleaves a third wolf asunder with his terrible iron sword!



Dangling on a rope above the massacre, Amethu scans frantically for the otherworldly voice! His sage eyes perceive a figure in the shadows!

The masked sorcerer-priest watches as Dahinna the rogue breathlessly creeps through the darkness along the edge of the camp's firelight. The clamor of mayhem and murder masks any sound she might make as, step by step, she inches toward the silhouette she spied standing in the darkness! As she slowly, painstakingly, approaches her prey, Dahinna discovers a moonlit shamaness, adorned in ebon feathers and human bones.



The Pict shaman is intent on the weaving of a new sorcerous incantation, unaware of the danger closing in on her. Sword bared, Dahinna creeps within the range of the witch's staff. If she is discovered now, it would mean her life. Close enough to smell her quarry, the stealthy hunter suddenly lunges, sheathing her blade in the shaman's back, and sliding it smoothly into her heart! Dead before she knows what has happened, the shaman of the Raven clan falls lifeless without a sound! Surprised, disbelieving eyes rage murderously at Dahinna as the witch's final breath leaves her.

Without knowing it, predator had become prey.


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. F = Fire. Cliff that protects campsite is 35 feet high. Bottom of map is north.

Behind the DM Screen:

Initiative: Party: [1d6]=2, Monsters: [1d6]=5 Monsters win again!
W1, W2, W3 attack Zahra: [1d20]=8, [1d20]=10, [1d20]=10 All three miss.
W4, W13, W6 attack Cruloc: [1d20]=14, [1d20]=11, [1d20]=10 W4 hits.
W4 damage to Cruloc: [2d4]=4
W7, W8, W9 attack Torix: [1d20]=1, [1d20]=14, [1d20]=8 W8 hits.
W8 damage to Torix: [2d4]=7
Amethu Wisdom check: [1d20]=8 Succeeds!

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 4/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 4/17, Spells: 2/8 1st lvl, 3/5 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 16/54
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 15/25
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: -2/21, Spells: 0/3 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
Torix: Pict Savage Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 17/38
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 9/29

PC Magic:

Enlarge (Amethu): Target: Cruloc. Duration: 28 rounds.

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

Cruloc, lips curled in a snarl, is as much wild beast as man! The muscles on the great sun-bronzed giant's arms stand out in knotted prominence, his sword is a blur of deadly steel, and his laughter rings out, deep and thrumming, a chilling promise of doom to his enemies!

+1 Thracian sword [1d20+3]=14+3=17
+1 Thracian sword vs S/M [1d8+4]=7+4=11, vs L [1d12+4]=11+4=15

"You mangy curs, you think you'll feast on me? There are more of you than breaths you'll take before I slay you all!"

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

The rogue from Zamora lets out a breath, not realizing she's been holding it since she began stalking the shaman. The snarls and cries of her companions jolt her senses and she quickly begins to search the shaman's body for anything that may call off the wolves. She doesn't know what she is looking for, but she searches, asking Mitra for grace and help.

[jemmus]

Torix, flesh ripped by hard-jawed wolven teeth, stands and lunges at the arrow-wounded wolf. He's survived the unearthly abominations of the crypt city, and he'll be damned if he'll die by the teeth of natural beasts of his own forest.

Atlantean Spear [1d20]=17 s-m [1d6]=1 l [1d8]=2

[ravenn4544]

Amethu sees the cult leader revealed! His sorcery is quick to lash out to try and ensnare its mind.

Cast charm person

[Inferno]

The Pictish Wilderness, the World of Hyboria
Day Seventeen. Midnight. 27th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia







The Raven clan shaman is slain and her dead eyes blaze up at her murderer, Dahinna, who stands over her with a dripping blade.

But the wolves do not relent. Their bloodthirsty attack only intensifies as if they wish to avenge their fallen master! The ruthless pack wreaks havoc upon Cruloc and Zahra! (7hp and 6hp damage respectively!)



Two wolves pounce ferociously at Dahinna but she narrowly evades their deadly fangs!

Torix beats back merciless jaws as he regains his footing! The Pict savage drives his Atlantean spear into a lunging wolf that already bears two of his arrows (W9), impaling it in a grisly harvest of blood and entrails, killing it instantly! (It is a +3 spear, please update your sheet)

Zahra has become grim and perilous. Like some pale angel of death, she wields the glittering Sword of Xuthalhotep and smites a snarling wolf in a rain of blood! (W2)



Ensorcelled by Amethu's occult power, the colossal Cruloc savagely rents another wolf in twain (W14), roaring like a beast in human skin!

Their number now halved, the wolfpack breaks and flees!

Zahra staunches Kiri's bleeding. The giant Easterner will live.

Dahinna searches the corpse of the Raven witch and finds a skull-crowned staff, garments of bone, fur and feathers, a pouch of dead plants and insects, a full waterskin, two pounds of dried boar meat (2 days worth of iron rations), and four flint-headed darts.

The salmon cook is nearly complete (resulting in 22 more iron rations).

It is after midnight. The howls of distant wolves fade into the forest of the night. The harrowing onslaught is ended and the adventurers are victorious!


Actions? (...for the next six hours until dawn, please)


Behind the DM Screen:

25% slain, wolf morale check (8): [2d6]=4 Succeeds
Leader slain, wolf morale check (8): [2d6]=7 Succeeds
Initiative: Party: [1d6]=3, Monsters: [1d6]=5 Monsters win again
From lat round: Zahra attacks: [1d20+4]=8+4=12, damage: [1d8+5]=2+5=7 Hits
W1, W2, W3 attack Zahra: [1d20]=4, [1d20]=5, [1d20]=20 W3 hits.
W3 damage to Zahra: [2d4]=6
W4, W14, W6 attack Cruloc: [1d20]=16, [1d20-1]=10-1=9, [1d20]=10 W1 hits.
W1 damage to Cruloc: [2d4]=7
W7, W8, W9 attack Torix: [1d20]=7, [1d20]=5, [1d20]=8 All miss.
Zahra attacks: [1d20+4]=8+4=12, damage: [1d8+5]=2+5=7 Hits again.
W10, W11 charge Dahinna: [1d20+2]=1+2=3, [1d20+2]=7+2=9 Both miss. No fumbles in this game.
Monsters' number is halved, triggering another morale check. Third morale check in one minute will automatically fail, I will rule.

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 4/3: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 4/17, Spells: 2/8 1st lvl, 3/5 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 9/54
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 15/25
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: -2/21, Spells: 0/3 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
Torix: Pict Savage Barbarian 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 17/38
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 3/29

PC Magic:

Enlarge (Amethu): Target: Cruloc. Duration: 27 rounds.

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[jemmus]

Torix looks at the ancient spear's head with respect. It pierces through the wolf's thick fur and it's hide, flesh and bone with amazing ease. He carefully cleaned the head and shaft with soil and leaves. Then pulls his arrows from the dead wolf's carcass. One is too firmly embedded, the shaft comes out leaving the barbed head behind.

He examines the shamaness's dead plants and insects to see if they might be useful to him for anything. He was no shaman, but he knew a little about medicinal plants and healing. He took leaves from his own pouch, chewed them, and applied the poultice to his comrade's wounds. Then divided the dried boar (making sure that it was dried boar, and not some other more suspect meat, which the Raven clan called "long pork") and salmon between the six of the group. Four days' rations each. Can eat wolf meat. Very dark, tough.
Tastes like wolfs smell. He guts the slain wolves, ties their back legs together, and hangs them from tree limbs, to be skinned and butchered tomorrow.
We climb the rock and rest on it tonight? Lot of wolves and things in the forest at night.

Barbarian first aid for everyone.
50% chance to recover each arrow: [1d100]=62[1d100]=26 Recovers one.
Will spend the next 6 hours to dawn standing his one-hour of watch and sleeping the other five hours.

[ravenn4544]

Amethu climbs down to lend what aide he can though only symbolic mostly since his prayers are expended. He does glance at the effect he was able to effect on Cruloc. He is pleased.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

Chest heaving in the aftermath of battle, Cruloc stands, his soul as torn as his flesh, a storm of emotions raging within - the thrill of his newfound power warring with his horror at having willingly succumbed to sorcery. His broad, blood-smeared hands clench and unclench as he surveys the slain wolves, their lifeless forms strewn across the forest floor like dark omens. Verulian magic surges through him still, his muscles engorged with strength. He revels in the carnage, yet his spirit recoils from the bewitchment that enabled such destruction - a guilt that gnaws at his conscience more fiercely than did the wolves.

He casts an upward glance at Amethu's gloating presence perched above him on the cliff. Uncertainty grips his heart, unsure whether to cast his ire upon the sorceror or offer his gratitude. He chooses the latter.

"Oy, Verulian! I thank ye for the extra girth down below!" he shouts, gesturing toward his groin. "But this outsized weaponry would bar me from even the whorehouses of Shadizar! Life would lose its lustre! So, I will diminish, and go again into the East!"

Cruloc collapses and binds his grievous wounds.

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri lies still as death, perceptibly breathing, but only just. His grandfather amulet sitting perched on his chest seems to watch his insensate features, a bemused smirking half-sneer on its face. Anyone observing is pretty sure this is the expression it always wears…

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

The rogue laughs in relief when the wolves flee and drags (if she can) the body of the shaman into the campsite.
But seeing Kiri on the ground covered in blood dashes the smile off her face as she rushes to his side. "He's dying! Cruloc, can you help him?"
She tears off pieces of clothing (either from Kiri or from her own body) and tries to staunch and bind his grievous wounds.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

"Mitra's fissure!"

The Cimmerian is momentarily distracted by his existential crisis. But he snaps out of it, rushes to Kiri - whom he now dwarfs - and administers clumsy first aid with enormous hands.

"We should gather what supplies we can and wait for dawn. Moving the Khambujan while he sleeps would be as pointless as expecting correct change in the market stalls of Kordava!"

Taking advantage of his size, Cruloc hefts the dead woman, two Picts, and segmented wolves one by one to the ledge halfway up the cliff to display as a warning to others and a demonstration of their power. He makes sure to liberally smear blood on the rocks on the way up to make clear the bodies did not arrive there from above.

[Inferno]

Sorry, Urson.

That's three and a half days. Moving the game forward...