Chapter 34: Nightmare World

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur gets an all-too-familiar nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knows the party must deal with these dark reflections before it is too late.

Weaving a mysterious incantation, Urdur hopes that his suggestion can turn some of these dark interlopers against each other, or against the Ripper.

We are your good friends, you should help us defeat our common foe, the Ripper!

Casts Hypnotism.

The spell description indicates up to 6 possible targets.
Urdur tries to Hypnotise all of the doppelgangers except Faron.

Urdur moves as stealthily as he is able, to get in range of a Hypnotism spell. He'll also keep a flask of holy water handy.

[Inferno]

Blackchapel, Hookhill, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Nine. After Midnight. Sunday, January 1st, 577 CY







From within the phantasmagorical madhouse that bridges reality and dream, dark reflections of the doomed heroes emerge! Were they a living prophecy of the fate awaiting all those who delved too deeply into the dark allure of blasphemous lore?

Faron and Mouser bare steel and hold their ground. In an eerie parallel synchronicity, their others selves do the same! The mirror Faron chuckles as he regards the real Ingrid Esthof.



"Glad you came, Ingrid. You've saved us the trouble of finding a fresh whore."

Then Mouser's sinister twin casts a magic spell that sends writhing arcs of white hot electricity coursing along the blades of Cat's Claw and Scapel!

Invisible Urdur creeps closer to the otherworldly villains as he watches his invisible counterpart utter an ancient incantation that allows him to see the unseen... including Urdur!



Long Bo offers prayers to the Shalm that He will expose their hidden enemies! Suddenly, the invisible Bo, Jerome, Telkis and Urdur from the accursed looking glass are revealed to all, limned by a spectral light!

Long Bo instantly appears as well and beckons, "Where is your despicable master hiding now, fiends? For we are here to end this charade of his once and for all!"

"Lord Blackchapel is otherwise occupied..." intones the other grey druid.



"...Preparing to overthrow your miserable reality."

Telkis suddenly appears near the enemy ranks and he and his dark counterpart strike each other simultaneously with their fearsome morningstars! (Telkis takes 4hp damage)

"It's a shame, really," confides the evil dwarfish gnome. "We have so much in common."

Suddenly, Jerome appears! "Enough!" cries the haggard, haunted paladin as draws his sword and charges! His evil self lunges forward to meet him midway and their blades, blessed and accursed, spark in a deafening crash!

"You weakling..." snarls the anti-paladin Jerome.



"...How I hate you."

"Liar," Jerome replies with grim determination. "You hate yourself."


Actions?! (And Ingrid, please post two rounds of actions!)


Map:

Lighter chamber is visible, all else is from memory. Only Urdur is invisible.

Behind the DM Screen:

No surprise roll is necessary. The doomed heroes and their dark reflections are equally surprised. No impact on initiative.

No initiative roll is necessary. The doomed heroes and their dark reflections move simultaneously. Initiative is tied.

Jerome charges: [1d20+4]=3+4=7, damage: [1d8+2]=8+2=10 Both Jeromes miss.

PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 22/22
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 4/5: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 21/21, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 25/25, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 5/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Jerome, Human Paladin 4: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 23/23, Laying Hands: 1/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 6: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 41/41, Spells: 4/6 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, 1/1 4th lvl
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 33/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 15/15, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, 1/1 3rd lvl, Invisible

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)
Invisibility (Urdur): Targets: Jerome, Long Bo, Telkis, Urdur
Detect Illusion (Urdur): Duration: 2 rounds
Detect Magic: (Long Bo): Duration: 4 rounds
Faerie Fire: (Long Bo): Targets: The Bo, Jerome, Telkis and Urdur from the accursed looking glass. Duration: 23 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)

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof - Human Cleric

Ingrid charges the anti-paladin, assisting Jerome.

Mace (THAC0: 18): To Hit: [1d20+2]=10+2=12, damage: small [1d6+3]=2+3=5 / large [1d6+2]=2+2=4

Ingrid casts Hold Person on the evil Telkis.

[OGRE MAGE]

Staying right where he is near the open portal, hoping to prevent anyone from using it, Long Bo ignores his evil counterpart and begins another spell.

While concentrating on the armor clad visage of the dark Jerome, the druid calls upon the power of the Shalm to stimulate the molecules of the metal, heating it up ever so slowly.

Casting: Heat Metal

[ChubbyPixie]

“Copy me all you like, I’m still far better looking than you, you evil runt!” shouts Telkis as he takes another swing at his evil twin:
Morningstar +2 (THAC0 17): To Hit:[1d20+2]=18+2=20, Damage: vs s/m [2d4+2]=6+2=8, vs L [1d6+3]=6+3=9

[SocraticLawyer]

Urdur gets a strange sense of deja vu. He shakes it off.

Weaving a mysterious incantation, Urdur hopes that his suggestion can turn some of these dark interlopers against each other, or against the Ripper.

We are your good friends, you should help us defeat our common foe, the Ripper!

Casts Hypnotism.

Urdur's targets are evil Urdur, evil Ingrid, evil Bo, evil Mouser, Welkis, and evil Faron, in that order.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser seeks to tip the scales a bit in their favor before advancing to battle. He calls forth a quick spell to persuade this new group of evil intent to see things his way….

Cast friends

[jemmus]

Seeing that Long Bo will guard the exit from the mansion, Faron runs to engage his wicked double and prevent him from ganging up on Telkis.

Don't know if he can attack this turn, but just in case. THAC0 19 +1 Longsword [1d20+1]=12+1=13 S/M [1d8+1]=3+1=4 L [1d12+1]=12+1=13

[Inferno]

Blackchapel, Hookhill, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Nine. After Midnight. Sunday, January 1st, 577 CY







With a sickening sense of deja vu, the doomed heroes in the mad dream are besieged by their own likenesses!

With unsettling simultaneity, their eerie reflections move exactly as they do.

Ingrid charges the anti-paladin Jerome, her mace hammering against his shield! And her evil twin does the same to Jerome!

Telkis insults his dead ringer's appearance as he smashes him again with Cranach!



His evil twin replies, "That's crazy. I'm much more handsome than you. You part your hair on the wrong side!" as he slams Telkis with his morningstar! (8hp damage)

Faron lunges into the fray and stabs his mirror image as it too rushes forward to stab him! (4hp damage)

Ingrid and her alter ego both summon otherworldly, invisible tentacles from between the spaces they know...



...to seize both Telkises! (Telkis, please Save vs Spells on 1d20-2)

Both Long Bos call upon powers higher and mysterious to heat the armor of the Jeromes as their swords clash again! Dressed as a whore, evil Ingrid wears no armor, but the true Ingrid feels her splint mail getting warmer!

Urdur suddenly appears and he and his dark doppelganger simultaneously cast beguilements to subjugate the will of their enemies!



The evil Urdur commands, "You cannot attack us. We are your subconscious selves! We are you!"

(Urdur, Ingrid, Bo, Mouser, Telkis, and Faron, please Save vs Spells to act!)


Actions?! (And Mouser, please post two rounds of actions!)


Map:

Lighter chamber is visible, all else is from memory.

Behind the DM Screen:

No initiative roll is necessary. The doomed heroes and their dark reflections move simultaneously. Initiative is tied.
Jerome attacks: [1d20+2]=6+2=8, damage: [1d8+2]=8+2=10 Both Jeromes miss.
Number of Hypnosis targets: [1d6]=6

PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 18/22
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 4/5: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 21/21, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 25/25, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 4/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl
Jerome, Human Paladin 4: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 23/23, Laying Hands: 1/1
Long Bo, Human Druid 6: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 41/41, Spells: 4/6 1st lvl, 2/4 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, 1/1 4th lvl
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 33/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 15/15, Spells: 2/4 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl, 1/1 3rd lvl

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)
Detect Illusion (Urdur): Duration: 1 round
Detect Magic: (Long Bo): Duration: 3 rounds
Faerie Fire: (Long Bo): Targets: The Bo, Jerome, Telkis and Urdur from the accursed looking glass. Duration: 22 rounds
Heat Metal: (Long Bos): Targets: Both Jeromes, and the true Ingrid. Duration: 6 rounds. Rounds of exposure: 1

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]

Save vs Spells (12) [1d20+4]=3+4=7

Urdur, ensorcelled, understands the truth spoken by his dark shadow. He cannot attack himself.

He vanishes from sight instead.

Casts Invisibility on himself.

[OGRE MAGE]

Save vs. Spells (14) [1d20]=14

Unsure how to attack himself without injuring......himself, Long Bo decides to ignore the evil gang for a moment, instead concentrating his magic on the portal behind them.

Using his ability to manipulate the stone floor, he flattens out a wad of clay in his hand before touching it to the floor, summoning the stone to rise up and cover the portal completely.

Not sure how big the portal is, but I understand that the "wall" will not be very thick. I am really just trying to think outside the box here, as the last time we met these folks, things didn't go to well for the good side.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser moves forward into range of his magic to try and ply these unholy beings with a new sense of perspective.

Save vs magic (13) [1d20]=18

Cast friends

(He’ll move and then cast as his two actions)

[jemmus]

Save vs. magic. Oops, please ignore the +1 and the damage rolls.
THAC0 19 +1 Longsword [1d20+1]=17+1=18 S/M [1d8+1]=2+1=3 L [1d12+1]=2+1=3

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof - Human Cleric

Save vs. Spells (14): [1d20]=6

[jemmus]

Seeing that Long Bo has the portal covered, Faron runs toward his mirror self try to help keep Telkis from being overwhelmed.

In case he gets an attack with his long sword.
THAC0 19 +1 Longsword [1d20+1]=18+1=19 S/M [1d8+1]=2+1=3 L [1d12+1]=6+1=7

[Inferno]

Blackchapel, Hookhill, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Nine. After Midnight. Sunday, January 1st, 577 CY







Simultaneously, Urdur and his sinister simulacrum mesmerize each other, both Ingrids, and both Jeromes!

"We are your good friends, you should help us defeat our common foe, the Ripper!"

"You cannot attack us. We are your subconscious selves! We are you!"

The twin Ingrids and twin Jeromes lower their weapons!

Mouser and his mirror image act in kind.



They both approach the wild fray and cast a bewitching beguilement upon themselves. Each cannot resist the other's charms!

Both Telkises withstand the Ingrids' blasphemous incantations of otherworldly paralysis!

With eldritch sorcery, the true Urdur renders himself invisible to the minds of men!

Locked in a symmetrical sword duel, Faron and his shadow self both draw blood again! (3hp damage)

Both Jeromes and the true Ingrid feel their armor inexplicably begin to scald them! (1hp damage each)

Meanwhile, the true Long Bo voices orisons to powers inconceivable and mysterious, and summons a wall of stone to thwart the dark designs of the "Hookhill Ripper" and permanently block the magic portal!



With his selfless action, the grey druid has sealed the heroes' only path of escape, and perhaps their doom!

Then, with an ancient word of power, the grey druid's dark reflection shatters the mesmerism that enthralls the mirror Urdur! And he whispers to his evil companion.

Thus freed, the mirror Urdur commands, "Ingrid and Jerome, pay your armor no mind. All of you, heed my words! We cannot help you defeat the Ripper because tonight, we are him. And because we are you, that means tonight, all of you shall become the Hookhill Ripper.
Come! Follow me and the truth will be revealed and you shall have understanding at last! Let nothing stop you from gaining this enlightenment."

Urdur, both Ingrids and both Jeromes have no choice but to comply. They follow the evil Urdur up the sweeping staircase...



...toward the second story of the house that bridges reality and madness.


Actions?! (And Telkis, please post two rounds of actions!)


Map:


Behind the DM Screen:

No initiative roll is necessary. The doomed heroes and their dark reflections move simultaneously. Initiative is tied.
Jerome: Save vs Hypnotism: [1d20]=8 Fail.
Telkis: Save vs Hold Person, Save vs Hypnotism: [1d20-2]=16-2=14, [1d20]=19 Both saves succeed!
Mirror Mouser saves vs Friends spell: [1d20]=12 Fail.
Heat Metal damage: [1d4]=1

PC Status:

Faron, Human Thief 5: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 15/22
Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 4/5: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 21/21, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 5: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 24/25, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 4/5 2nd lvl, 2/2 3rd lvl, Hypnotized
Jerome, Human Paladin 4: Move: 9", AC: 3(1), HP: 22/23, Laying Hands: 1/1, Hypnotized
Long Bo, Human Druid 6: Move: 9", AC: 2(1), HP: 41/41, Spells: 4/6 1st lvl, 2/4 2nd lvl, 1/2 3rd lvl, 1/1 4th lvl
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 5: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 33/37
Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 5: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 15/15, Spells: 2/4 1st lvl, 1/2 2nd lvl, 1/1 3rd lvl, Hypnotized

PC Magic:

Protection From Evil, 10' Radius (Jerome)
Detect Magic (Long Bo): Duration: 2 rounds
Faerie Fire (Long Bo): Targets: The Bo, Jerome, Telkis and Urdur from the accursed looking glass. Duration: 21 rounds
Heat Metal (Long Bos): Targets: Both Jeromes, and the true Ingrid. Duration: 5 rounds. Rounds of exposure: 2
Hypnotism (Urdurs): Targets: Urdur, both Ingrids, both Jeromes. Duration: 5 rounds.
Friends (Mousers): Targets: Both Mousers. Duration: 3 rounds.
Invisibility (Urdur): Target: Urdur

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)

[jemmus]

Faron is locked in combat with his shadow self and too far away to do anything about the evil Urdur leading his friends away. Long Bo! Stop the mirror Urdur! He lunges at duplicate with his glowing longsword.

THAC0 19 +1 Longsword [1d20+1]=3+1=4 S/M [1d8+1]=2+1=3 L [1d12+1]=7+1=8

[Scott308]

Ingrid Esthof - Human Cleric

Ingrid follows the evil Urdur up the stairs.

[ravenn4544]

Mouser sees little option. He moves past his mirror image with a nod of greeting and acknowledgement, both now quite amicable towards each other in some strange way, and lends his blades to Faron in his struggle against himself!

Scalpel (THACO 19) To Hit [1d20]=7, S/M/L Dam. [1d8]=2

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo steps forward to unleash another spell towards his friends.....and enemies.

Trying to time it out perfectly to affect only the trio in the front rank, and not the pair of dark stragglers on the stairway, the grey druid attempts to eliminate the magical afflictions of Jerome and Ingrid.

Casting: Dispel Magic