CHAPTER 9: Return to the Tunnels, Part II

[Norjax]

...

Tunnel Complex, 298D/81 (Afternoon)

Silvestri impresses upon the surviving brute that Farmanus needs his equipment. The severely wounded beast-man struggles to gain its footing and proceeds forward. With miserable sluggishness, the pale ogre trudges through your lines, under the rail trolley and into the turntable chamber. The gray-skinned savage then turns and makes his way into the dark tunnel past MacMak. After a while, you hear weak barks echo from two directions. (Red arrows on map)

There is continued amazement surrounding the psionist’s powers over the creatures. Silvestri lays his healing touch on his plantient friend, and Denslow feels some vitality return to his being. (8 hit points returned)

Farmanus performs some type of loyalty ritual, presumably from his native culture.

It’s been nearly 10 minutes since the white-haired humanoid departed into the darkness and barked from the distant location.

MAP:

Action Details:

Characters:

Monsters:

Actions?

Hit Points [Luck Points]:

Belial – 16/57 [0/9]
Denslow – 10/42 [6/16]
Silvestri – 43/60 [0/14]
MacMak – 8/68 [4/17]
Bruce – 33/50 [1/12]
Kurot – [50]/50 [1/15]
Frank – 36/63 [2/13]
Ron – 45/69 [13/15]
Farmanus – 40/87 [13/13]

...

[shaidar]

Silvestri feels a twinge of guilt as he sees the injured beast-man hobble down the corridor, but it quickly fades as he remembers the death he and his kind almost brought to to the group

"I can only heal once more today, and I don't know who needs it more, Denslow, Belial, MacMak, or our new friend. Probably MacMak" he holds his hand out to Farmanus "Hi, I'm Silvestri. Your nose looks really bad. What's your name?"


When the beast-man doesn't return...

"That's not good, they probably have guards at their camp, but at least we know where it is. I guess there'll be more fighting as we'll need to clear it if it's in the tunnel. I've never had any of my abilities reach that kind of power before, it was both exhilarating and scary, but don't expect it to happen very often."

ooc: I assume the man has gone out of range of his powers and he cannot detect him any more?

[greyarea]

Denslow thanks Silvestri. That feels better, friend.

He extends a branch-tentacle to Farmanus. I'm called Denslow, but you can call me Mr Apples, if that is all your meager meat-brain can accomplish. It will be good to have you travel with us.

He stage whispers to the others, How much do you think we can get for the new guy in Hagelton? And then more loudly, Speaking of Hagleton, we should collect more to sell upon our return there.

[rossik]

MacMak is very weak and is bleeding all over. He will join his friends and tell about the barking

[Yrkoon]

Farmanus the Unneeded

"I'm Farmanus," the uber strain human replies to Silvestri, relieved he will not be made to fight to the death against the likeable hardwood. Hesitantly taking Denslow's outstretched tentacle, he adds importantly, "I'm on a mission."

He considers the names of his new friends. "Mr. Apples is a tree," indicating Denslow, taking a moment to admire his low-hanging fruit. Turning to The Nice Man, Farmanus smiles, "But you're Silves-tree!" The scout from Rodenbury laughs uproariously, his wrecked nose spuming bloody lather like a bubble machine at a child's birthday party.

He abruptly stops, as if remembering something important. "The slug," Farmanus growls. His visage grows dark with violent intent. Gripping his spear in both meaty hands, he spins and jogs down the tunnel from whence he came - a man on a mission.

[shaidar]

Silvestri smiles at Farmanus, but wonders if the poor mans injury is even worse than it looks. He's about to respond when he sees MacMak arrive and realises that the bird-man is even more injured that he thought and sets about using his last healing on him.

Psychic Healing: [2d4+3] = 6+3 = 9

[Norjax]

...

Tunnel Complex, 298D/81 (Afternoon)

Silvestri and Denslow exchange formalities with Farmanus. The bloodied uber strain human has a peculiar sense of humor that is suddenly abandoned when he remembers the tortuous slug that the beast-men attached to his head. With a single-minded purpose, Farmanus jogs back to the pale-yellow slug slinking along the floor through pools of blood. The adherent of the Social Covenant stares coldly at the aberration before piercing it with the head of his spear. The mutant gastropod wiggles and squirms until its life force fades with silence.

MacMak returns to the deck of the rail trolley and informs the group of the barking he heard from the dark tunnel. The manimal is weak from his battle wounds, and Silvestri performs his healing touch on the mutant seagull. (9 hit points returned)

MacMak tells of another sound he heard from the darkness; a rattling moments before the faint barking began. It was like the beast was clamoring through a debris field of wooden sticks.

Actions?

Hit Points [Luck Points]:

Belial – 16/57 [0/9]
Denslow – 10/42 [6/16]
Silvestri – 43/60 [0/14]
MacMak – 17/68 [4/17]
Bruce – 33/50 [1/12]
Kurot – [50]/50 [1/15]
Frank – 36/63 [2/13]
Ron – 45/69 [13/15]
Farmanus – 40/87 [13/13]

...

[Yrkoon]

Farmanus the Unneeded

The black blood of the beast-men covering the tip of Farmanus' spear has been replaced by a sickly yellow ooze. Likewise, a jubilant Farmanus has taken the place of the grim killer who a short time ago stalked off alone into the dark.

"I remembered something! Or the slug told me before I killed it - I don't know which. It was like a relevation. My stuff is up in the earth."

Farmanus smiles broadly before focusing his attention on the tunnel roof.

[greyarea]

Denslow wonders, How might you get your things up in the earth?

Once we have looted these beast men, we should rest or consider returning to town to sell some of what we've found. We are quite battered still and my luck is dwindling.

[shaidar]

Silvestri

"The trip along the Long Road could be as dangerous as continuing. We could find somewhere to rest up for a couple of days. That circular room full of ancient equipment would be pretty defensible. Is it worth sending a small group of less injured forward to see what happened to the beast-man, if we've almost defeated the tribe then it would make sense to find the lair and finish them off."

[Zhym]

"I can scout ahead," volunteers Kurot. "I am"—he pauses a moment for a quick self-diagnostic—"relatively uninjured and should be able to get in and out quickly. All I need is a light source."

[Norjax]

...

Ron Spartan, cyborg shark, volunteers to join Kurot on the scouting mission. His only source of light is two candles.

...

[shaidar]

Silvestri offers up some torches.

[Zhym]

Kurot takes a torch and advances down the hallway until he can see what's going on. He finds himself thinking that as useful as his flashy eyes are, what he really needs at times like this are eyes that let him see in the dark.

[Yrkoon]

Farmanus the Unneeded

"I will lend you my spear!" volunteers Farmanus. He looks to Silvestri for permission to join Kurot and Ron.

[rossik]

"I can use my ultravision", say the bird mutant. He join the scout party

[greyarea]

Denslow says, And I can lend my encouragement. You go guys!

[shaidar]

Farmanus the Unneeded

"I will lend you my spear!" volunteers Farmanus. He looks to Silvestri for permission to join Kurot and Ron.

Silvestri

"You don't have to ask my permission, I'm nobody's boss, that was just for show for those beast-men. You do as you wish, you're your own man"

[Norjax]

...

Tunnel Complex, 298D/81 (Late Afternoon)

Kurot volunteers to scout ahead into the unexplored tunnel where the beast-man disappeared. Ron, Farmanus and MacMak join the android and proceed left from the turntable. MacMak's first attempt to activate his ultravsion fails, but his second succeeds and he probes the depths of the tunnel.

70ft from the turntable chamber, a 10ft wide side tunnel leads to the southwest. A crude set of steps, fashioned from fungal logs, provides access to the floor of the corridor which is 10ft above the bottom of the rail tunnel. MacMak can see another log barrier across the lower rail some 40ft beyond this side tunnel. He can also surmise that the curved passage connects to the rail tunnel where the sled is currently parked. A chamber and secondary passage are visible from the mutant bird’s location.

Silvestri, Denslow, Frank, Bruce and Belial wait on the trolley deck for the report from their comrades.

MAP:

Action Details:

Characters:
MacMak, Ultravision = [1d20+1] = 10+1 = 11
MacMak, Ultravision = [1d20+1] = 15+1 = 16

Monsters:

Actions?

Hit Points [Luck Points]:

Belial – 16/57 [0/9]
Denslow – 10/42 [6/16]
Silvestri – 43/60 [0/14]
MacMak – 17/68 [4/17]
Bruce – 33/50 [1/12]
Kurot – [50]/50 [1/15]
Frank – 36/63 [2/13]
Ron – 45/69 [13/15]
Farmanus – 40/87 [13/13]

...

[Zhym]

Kurot runs back to the trolley to update the others on what the forward group found. "Stay alert for anything coming this way," he suggests. "When we explore from our end, some may run off to this exit." Then he runs back to Ron, Farmanus, and MacMak. As he runs back and forth, he concocts an elaborate plan that will let them approach the "morlocks'" lair without a light source giving them away—before realizing that the morlocks are blind and won't notice the light anyway.

After a quick check of the steps to make sure they're stable, he heads down the narrower hall to the intersection, where he stops near the wall and peers around the corner.