Ok, I will admit that this game was designed to be difficult for the monsters to succeed, but the rolls you guys got really didn't help your cause at all! Having to wait several rounds for the Scare spell to wear off gave Xyxax enough time to buff up and figure out a plan of attack as well.
Then There Were None
No Time! Round 38
Dark and Cold
Thamansa tries to climb up through the opening in the floor despite the greasy conditions on the ladder. This proves to be her downfall.
Using her new strength to pull herself up so she can see what is happening above, Thamansa spots a room that must be used for magical research and spell testing. The wizard Xyxax stands on the far side of the room, amongst tables and desks filled with laboratory equipment and writing materials. He is covered by some strange magical force field that floats in mid air between him and the witch's aggressive tiger. That animal is currently engaged with a small handful of goblins, two of them whom already have their throats ripped out. The 3 remaining goblins are currently between the tiger and the mage, fending off the beast while fighting for their lives, and failing at both.
The mage continues casting, his latest spell aimed right above Thamansa's exposed head. Suddenly an unseen force pushes down hard on the bugbear, still hanging onto the greasy ladder for dear life. The push is enough to break her precarious grip on the slippery rungs, causing poor Thamansa to slide from the ladder and begin falling straight down. She hits the next floor hard and plunges through that hole as well, unable to get a good hold onto anything to stop her fall due to the greasy residue still on her furry hands.
She falls unconscious after hitting the next floor level, dreaming about how she will eventually be queen of the Keep as she looks upon the dead Ernie, still in his cage right next to her bloody head. Then everything fades to black in the horrid witches mind..........forever.
Kermut's body is stripped and tossed from the back tower of the keep into the deep ravine below for the scavengers to devour. Horsefly is dually treated, his body is also stripped of his items and tossed over the wall never to be seen again. The bodies of Othrod, Shozbot, and Ondrake are all burned with the rubble in the aftermath of the destruction. When the guards go to collect the body of the unconscious minotaur, they find that he has somehow run off, his remains no longer anywhere to be found. (His Ring of Regeneration brought him back to consciousness just in time for him to realize that the attack failed, allowing him time to escape back out through the rubble of the collapsed tower unseen. So, no TPK after all.)
The next morning, after the wizard had plenty of time to rest and regain his magic, (which was nearly depleted, by the way) anyone watching the area can see the flying kobold leading a large contingency of orcs and goblins towards the ruined keep. (Loopis flew back to the caves and convinced some of the tribes that the battle was a complete success, tricking them into entering the keep to celebrate with the surviving victors.) With fireballs and ice storms, the wizard kills off most of that group at a distance from the safety of the top of his walls. The tricksy kobold flies back to the kobold caves unscathed, laughing the entire way.
The End!
Thanks for playing along everyone!!! I had a fun time running this one, despite the hardships you had to face as a group. I think this would have gone much better if you were all playing at the same table and could coordinate better, but that is how these things go sometimes.
I hope you enjoyed the game despite the less than stellar outcome. I am happy to hear any feedback about the game, good or bad. Thanks!
Horsefly (goblin) -10/8 [3/2/1] (Dead)
Shozbot (orc) -10/18 (Dead)
Kermut (gnoll) -10/16 (Dead)
Thamansa (bugbear) -1/20 [1/2/0] (Unconscious)
Othrod (bugbear) -10/30 (Dead)
Ondrake (hill giant) -10/50 (Dead)