The Unseen Servant forums

Within the Hell Mouth, the Rushmoors, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Ten. Nightfall. Tuesday, October 25th, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, foggy







GONG! GONG! GONG! GONG! The relentless alarm echoes thoughout the midnight realm of the subterranean hellscape as ghastly unseen creatures labor fiendishly against the heroic invaders.

Brevos, Hoom, Ingrid, Mouser and Urdur wretch again from their dire afflictions. (Each loses a fourth point of Strength!)

Long Bo the druid urgently advises everyone to climb the rope to escape this cavern. No one takes his counsel. Not even himself.

Urdur retrieves his thrown daggers. Telkis recovers one of his magical arrows. Pelias rages at them before consuming an enchanted potion that miraculously heals some of his grievous wounds. (+12hp)

Hoom's trembling hands cannot pick the lock on the lowered iron cage. The elf asks the imprisoned boy for his name.
"...Jeremiah," he replies in fear and confusion. (P1)



Long Bo squeezes past the thick crowd on the side of the hungry pool to drag two blood-soaked reptilian corpses into the mouth of the western channel. Then he returns and asks the caged boy, "Do you know where these passages lead?"

The boy stares at the tall hooded figure for a moment before answering, "Yes, sir... some of them...
"To It."

His strength waning, Mouser lowers another iron cage. A girl is held within. (P2)



"Jeremiah!" she screams. "What is happening?!!"

"Sarah!!!" the boy cries.

"Children!" calls a woman from the high, westernmost cage. "Who's there?!"

Grothnak, Pelias and Telkis are nearby. They recognize the voice. It's Felicity Gade.



Ingrid Esthof starts to lower a third cage, her legs quavering beneath her. Then she harkens to Bo's urging and moves to the rope, waiting for others to climb first. She braces herself against a rocky wall, looks up the wide central shaft and sees torchlight in the distance, up by the mouth of the sinkhole, at the surface!

Pip, still imprisoned by the rapacious living flora of the fetid pool, begins to wonder if he will be left behind here. Fearing that if he entered the pool he would be held beneath its surface, the young monk lights an incense stick.

Brevos sees his friend's need and cuts Pip free of the writhing vines and weeds. The monk moves beyond the reach of the pool's grasping tendrils.

No prisoners are freed from cages nor is anyone up the rope, as shadows and footfalls blossom within the eastern tunnel. (East of "?")

And suddenly two horrific unliving terrors appear from out of the western shaft (C1, C3).



They are the unholy horrors that Ingrid's piety had driven off, but not before one of them had devoured a part of Telkis' soul. A charnel house stench and bone-chilling cold herald their frightful return.


Actions?!


Map:

The towering waterfall is a 5' diameter column in the center of the pool.
Grey squares are hanging cages. Black squares are lowered cages.

Cutaway View:

West is left. East is right. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 19/27
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC 5, HP 5/15, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 12/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 13/22, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl and 1/4 2nd lvl
  Hoom Feethos, Elven Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC 3, HP 11/12, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 6, HP: 23/30, Spells: 0/6 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl and 1/2 3rd lvl
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 3: Move: 6", AC: 2(0), HP: 15/30, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Pip, Human Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 9, HP: 5/12
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 2: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 9/26
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC 6, HP 9/9, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl and 0/1 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.
  Entangle (Bo): Duration: 5 rounds

Player Resources:

• Tale of Terror (the story so far, in words)
  Graven Images (the story so far, in pictures)
  The Innocent and the Condemned (npc's)
  A Dark and Terrible World (maps)
  Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

Suddenly remembering the keys he took from the dead cultist, Urdur opens the cages at P2 and then P1. He helps the children to the rope before going up himself.

”Let them come to us,” Telkis says quietly before firing one of his elven arrows, then drawing Cranach.

Mouser, his soul weakening, so too does his apparent ability to filter his words, "No one climbs the rope. We find another way. Remember those guards that climbed up the rope that you wouldn't let me burn to death? Guess what? They are coming back...."

Mouser looks for who has a torch to burn the rope.

Pelias waits for one of the undead to attack, ready with his newly acquired sword (no bonuses applied)

Attack with mystery sword (THAC0 18) [1d20] = 16, damage [1d8] = 5

Grothnak is taken aback. He falters for a moment. Felicity Gade! He had sworn to protect her. And failed.

He will not fail to protect her now.

He charges at the unholy horrors.

Halberd +2 (+3 v. Evil) (THAC0 18): [1d20+3] = 20+3 = 23, Dmg [1d10+5] = 7+5 = 12 (S/M) [2d6+4] = 7+4 = 11 (L)

Brevos closes his eyes and sighs

If I fall may it be with a pile of enemy bodies at my feet.

he stands with Pelias to face the undead

[1d20+1] = 5+1 = 6

Bo knows some of his friends will never leave this chamber without the prisoners now.

He looks to Ingrid and Urdur, the only other people apparently ready at the rope who are, like the druid, also hoping to get out of this alive. "We need to get these people to safety. It will take those cultists up there some time to get down. So even if we have to regroup on the level above us, that would be better than staying here."

"We defeat what is coming, then we get out of here! If you are badly injured, or otherwise unable to fight, get up the rope and regroup on the level above! At least we know that was cleared out. If the men above us start coming down, they will try to get down here first. Once they are all past, we will have them surrounded and vulnerable while still on the ropes."

"Those of us who can still fight will hold them off from down here as long as we can! If any of you have magic left, I see no point in saving it for your graves! Let's end this!"

The druid hurries to the cage that Ingrid had started lowering and finishes the job if he can, hoping Urdur remembers to leave the keys behind as he climbs up the rope. He keeps his eyes trained on the eastern tunnel, silently praying to the Shalm that, whatever is coming, their numbers are few.

"I have one blessing of healing left before my powers are spent, so if you are near deaths door, stick close to me!"

Grothnak snorts, showing his opinion of druids who have time to give speeches when there is evil in need of killing.

Ingrid Esthof

Staggering under the weight of her gear, the cleric slips her backpack off her shoulders, easing her burden, but she is still weak and struggling. Seeing the return of the undead abominations, she smiles grimly, raising her holy symbol to them. Tritherion has cast you out once! He shall do so again! Turning to the others as the foul creatures once more flee from the power of Tritherion, she says, My strength fades quickly. I fear I shall never leave this cave. Free the captives and I will enter one of the cages. Raise me up so they cannot tell I am not a captive. I have a scroll of Earthquake. I will give you time to get clear of this place before I try to bring the cavern down, burying anyone, or anything, forever.

Urdur tosses the keys down to Long Bo, as he helps the children up the rope. "Get out of the way!" he says to Mouser or anyone else who tries to stop the escape of the innocent children.

Hoom Feethos:

Hoom scrabbles up the rope while he still has the strength to do so.

Trapped in the weeds, Pip tries to calm his mind. He blows incense around, hoping to clear the senses of those reacting to the stench of the dead lizard demons.

Within the Hell Mouth, the Rushmoors, Gran March, Greyhawk
Day Ten. Nightfall. Tuesday, October 25th, 576 CY
Cloudy, damp, cold, foggy







GONG! GONG! GONG! GONG!

It was all going wrong.

Deep in the hell warren, the alarm had sounded and horrific creatures not of this world were rapidly descending upon the heroes. The first two are fiendish undead terrors: one that can paralyze a victim with an icy touch, the other that can consume a mortal's soul. (C1, C3)

Their voices are filled with evil and horror. "What has happened?! Where are the invaders?!"
In the torchlit cavern, the heroes' disguises cause a moment of confusion, and that is enough for them to seize the initiative!

Long Bo the druid desperately orders a fighting retreat as he continues lowering the third cage. For once, Hoom takes Bo's counsel. The weakened elf flees up the thick, knotted rope.

Urdur produces the ring of keys he found on the heinous, goat-masked priest and unlocks the cages of Jeremiah and Sarah and ushers them up the rope, carrying the weeping young girl over his shoulder. The dark gnome throws the key ring down to Long Bo and continues scaling higher and higher.

Mouser seizes one of the wall mounted torches in order to burn the rope.

Telkis quickly fires two more enchanted arrows at the unholy horrors! Both missiles miss their target and one nearly puts out Pelias' eye!

Ingrid smiles grimly at the undead hellions and holds forth her holy symbol again. "Tritherion has cast you out once! He shall do so again!"

Consumed by invisible flames of righteousness, the unliving demons are driven back once more by the power of Ingrid's faith.



But before they can flee, Grothnak charges the fiend that had tasted of Telkis' soul (C3). The fierce half-orc warrior cleaves open the abhorrent devil from skull to hipbone, killing it with one blow and avenging his gnomish friend.

The other wicked villain (C1) escapes into the western tunnel, swearing bitter curses of hatred and vengeance.

Brevos and Pelias gird themselves for an attack that doesn't come. The grim ranger's faltering strength makes Brood heavy in his hand.

Brevos, Hoom, Ingrid, Mouser and Urdur succumb no further into weakness and dread, but nor does their strength return. Pip hopes his incense will alleviate their grievous afflictions, to no avail.

Long Bo finishes lowering the third iron cage. Inside is imprisoned a man who is no farmer of Briarsgate. From his clothes, he is a merchant from Hochoch or Hookhill. "Th-thank you... ever so kindly," he stammers as he is released. (P3)

The last inhabited cage still hangs high on iron chains. From it comes the voice of Felicity Gade again (FG). "Who... who is there, please?!"

Ingrid Esthof wonders if she can climb a rope in this weakened condition. Then she makes up her mind. The selfless priestess drops her pack, no longer having need of worldly possessions. She enters Jeremiah's empty cage and asks that it be hoisted back up into the air. "I have a scroll of Earthquake. I will give you time to get clear of this place before I try to bring the cavern down, burying anyone, or anything, forever."
Valiant Ingrid means to sacrifice herself to end this unspeakable evil for once and for all.

Inhuman things out of darkest nightmare begin to fill the lower tunnel. They are coming this way.

And then out of the eastern shaft emerges a ghastly new horror. (X1)



Led on a chain by more reptilian malefactors (R8-10) comes yet another mutilated, tormented undead creation of Hell. This wretched atrocity was once 13 different victims, one of which might have been an ogre or a giant.

Its very existence is a blasphemy against Life itself.


Actions?!


Map:

The towering waterfall is a 5' diameter column in the center of the pool.
Grey squares are hanging cages. Black squares are lowered cages.
Not depicted are those on the rope: Hoom, Jeremiah, Urdur and Sarah.

Cutaway View:

West is left. East is right. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.


Non-required Reading (Rolls and Rulings):


PC Status:

• Brevos, Half-Elf Ranger 2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 19/27
  Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC 5, HP 5/15, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 12/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 4: Move: 6", AC: 3(1), HP: 13/22, Spells: 0/5 1st lvl and 1/4 2nd lvl
  Hoom Feethos, Elven Magic-User/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC 3, HP 11/12, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 4: Move: 9", AC: 6, HP: 23/30, Spells: 0/6 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl and 1/2 3rd lvl
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 3: Move: 6", AC: 2(0), HP: 15/30, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Pip, Human Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 9, HP: 5/12
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 2: Move: 9", AC: 0, HP: 9/26
  Urdur Shimmerstone, Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC 6, HP 9/9, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl and 0/1 2nd lvl

PC Magic:

• Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.
  Entangle (Bo): Duration: 4 rounds

Player Resources:

• Tale of Terror (the story so far, in words)
  Graven Images (the story so far, in pictures)
  The Innocent and the Condemned (npc's)
  A Dark and Terrible World (maps)
  Desperate Struggles (clues and player notes)

Ingrid Esthof

Disheartened by the obscenity coming their way, the cleric tries channeling the strength of Tritherion. Be gone, abomination! You have no place in this world!

Bo is disgusted by the latest abomination to enter this nightmarish scenario. For what manner of evil would even think to do something so horrific to so many poor victims. This vile affront to nature must be stopped. Though he is glad that some of his group are helping to save the children, his hope is once again crushed when he hears another friend seem to lose all hope. He ignores Ingrid's proclamations of murder and suicide, deciding instead to test the intelligence of these newcomers.

As soon as he hears the abominations about to enter the chamber, he points the merchant in the direction of the rope and whispers. "if you want to live, follow them." Once the monsters enter, he waves his arms frantically and shouts in their direction. As he yells, he attempts to run alongside the pool towards Grothnak, skirting the very edge of his entangling spell, hoping some of them might follow him and get captured.

"We have been tricked! Invaders have disguised themselves in our robes! We can't tell who is who!"

He rolls his eyes and shrugs slightly at anyone he passes along the way, pretty much out of options at this point. If he can make it there unscathed, and others have engaged the enemy, he will attempt to lower the last occupied cage.

Urdur knows that his only hope, and that of the children with him, is to escape this foul place. He does not want to split the group, remembering how that did not end well last time. But certain death waits for them below.

He continues up the rope, encouraging the children along the way. He hopes his strength holds long enough to make it to the surface.

Dropping his bow, Telkis yells ”Surprise! I’m the fake one!” With that he chugs his Potion of Speed and charges the unspeakable thing, hoping for better luck at least long enough to provide Felicity the chance to escape...

Grothnak turns to do battle with the latest abomination.

Halberd +2 (+3 v. Evil) (THAC0 18): [1d20+3] = 20+3 = 23, Dmg [1d10+5] = 7+5 = 12 (S/M) [2d6+4] = 11+4 = 15 (L)

Hoom Feethos:

Hoom helps the children over the ledge as they reach the top of the rope. He then calls down to Mouser. "Grey it's time to go!"