Chapter 17: The Island of Death

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

The indomitable barbarian brings his sword low and is about to heave it upwards to split one of the fearsome abominations in two when Garrin unwittingly steps on its tip, momentarily pinning it to the floor.

Attack w/ longsword [1d20+2] = 1+2 = 3

"Morrigan and Macha!"

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri senses things are spinning out of control. He knows the gate needs to be lifted. He reaches deep within himself, forgets all else and heaves...

Bend Bars/Lift Gates (40%): [1d100] = 12 ...finally.

[SocraticLawyer]

Grunting in pain, Garrin attacks the foe before him.

To hit with +2 Longsword [1d20+2] = 17+2 = 19; damage sm [1d8+2] = 6+2 = 8; damage l [1d12+2] = 5+2 = 7

He gives Cruloc the slightest of head-nods, by way of apology for stepping on the barbarian's blade.

[Inferno]

The Island of Death, The Underground City, Beneath the Great Pyramid of Xuthalhotep
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Ten. Afternoon?, 23rd day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia



Forbidden sorceries render Amethu a giant! Yet still he cannot lift the gate! Nor can Loche, Mako and Xorzen, despite the continued urgings of Tjoruy's hallucinatory canticle!

Blind and disoriented, Kiri seizes the iron bars and lifts with all his might! With a cry of rage and toil, the man-mountain of the east slowly raises the immense portcullis above his head where it remains!



The portal is open!

Atop another flight of stone steps, Cruloc, Garrin and Zahra fight for their lives against the horrific, tainted mockeries of Men!




Garrin fouls Cruloc's attack as he joins Zahra in a ferocious onslaught of steel that would have sent four men screaming to their graves!




Yet still, the faceless horrors fight on! Mangled and tormented into madness and murder, the screeching inhuman things hack and chop with great iron weapons!

Cat-like, Zahra evades a whistling cut. But the ax finds Garrin again, wreaking ruinous havoc to mortal flesh and bone! (5hp damage)


Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet.


Behind the DM Screen:

Monsters attack last in round.
F2, F3 attack Zahra and Garrin: [1d20] = 3, [1d20] = 20, damage: [1d10] = 10, [1d10] = 5 Garrin hit for 5hp damage. No critical hits in this game.

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 9/14, Spells: 6/7 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl, Lantern
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 28/45
Garrin: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 3(1), HP: 8/26, Laying Hands: 1/1, Torch left at gate
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 19/19, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, Blind
Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 24/25
Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 12/12, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Tjoruy: Verulian Osoran Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 26/31, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 2/4 2nd lvl
Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 6(4), HP: 14/16
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 18/29

PC Magic:

Protection from Evil (Garrin): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Garrin.
Healing Mists of Osorus (Garrin, Kiri, Loche, Mako and Xorzen have breathed of the mists): All lost HP recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 HP per hour. Duration: "months."
Invisibility (Mako): Target: self.
Slow Poison (Amethu): Target: none yet. Duration: 165 rounds.
Enlarge (Amethu): Target: self. Duration: 18 rounds.

Player Resources:

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

[Urson]

Zahra
Howling her catlike warcry, Zahra moves in again, slashing at this mockery of a human. (F2)
att [1d20+4] = 15+4 = 19
sword vs lg [1d12+3] = 11+3 = 14

[ravenn4544]

Amethu lumbers forward to help the fight on the stairs! (not sure if he can attack this round or not)

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin strikes out again, hoping to end this fight before he is wounded further.

He bumps inadvertently into Cruloc, spoiling his aim.

To hit with +2 Longsword [1d20+2] = 5+2 = 7; damage sm [1d8+2] = 6+2 = 8; damage l [1d12+2] = 6+2 = 8

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

Attack w/ longsword [1d20+2] = 8+2 = 10

Cruloc's battered blade whistles wide, and his frustration mounts.

[Scott308]

Loche

Now that the gate is raised, the Pict unleashes a scream of fury as he charges one of the foul beings (F3)! Unfortunately, he stumbles as he gets to the top of the stairs. Instead of a vicious attack, he manages only a feeble attempt as he regains his balance.

Jeweled Dagger +1/ +2 vs. Undead (20): [1d20+1] = 2+1 = 3; Damage: [1d4+1] = 3+1 = 4; Damage, Large: [1d3+1] = 2+1 = 3

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorxen sprints up the steps while readying his magic javelin, positioning himself behind the attackers to help aid his allies in their fight.

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

With the gate up Mako looks left and right for a locking mechanism to hold the gate in place.

[AleBelly]

Tjoruy's incantation become completely imperceptible as he thrusts his hands into his pouch....

"Hey yo! Boyo! Long-a-dong-dillo!"

...pulls out mushrooms that smell of manure, and shoves them in his mouth. Yet his gaze never falters from the battle raging before him.

"mmmmrrrrfffgg...mmmmmrrrrffggg"

[Inferno]

The Island of Death, The Underground City, Beneath the Great Pyramid of Xuthalhotep
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Ten. Afternoon?, 23rd day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia







Zahra's sword is a blur of silver and suddenly her enemy's faceless head flies from its shoulders on a font of blood!




The pale twisted figure staggers a few steps headless before crashing to the stones! (F2)

The last tainted gibbering horror (F3) beats down the blades of Cruloc and Garrin with his great ax! Then he attacks Garrin again, dealing blows like a butcher wielding a great cleaver! (9hp damage!) The paladin's broken body is thrown to the floor, smashing hard in a spray of blood! Garrin doesn't get up.

As Tjoruy keeps chanting, the rest of the explorers race beneath the portcullis and up the stairs to their companions' aid! Unseen, Mako finds a winch for the gate!

Xorzen moves past the last hideous monster and suddenly, can hear beyond it. From the northern darkness comes more inhuman shrieking! And footsteps. But these are not running. They are dragging and scraping.

Xorzen risks a glance over his shoulder as something lurches out of the shadows!





Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet.


Map:



Behind the DM Screen:

Monsters attack last in round.
F3 attacks Cruloc? (1) or Garrin? (2): [1d2] = 2, to hit: [1d20] = 20, damage: [1d10] = 9 Hits Garrin for 9hp damage. No critical hits in this game, thank the gods.

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 9/14, Spells: 6/7 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl, Lantern
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 28/45
Garrin: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 3(1), HP: -1/26, Laying Hands: 1/1, Torch left at gate
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 19/19, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, Blind
Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 24/25
Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 4: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 12/12, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, 2/2 2nd lvl
Tjoruy: Verulian Osoran Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 26/31, Spells: 2/5 1st lvl, 2/4 2nd lvl
Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 6(4), HP: 14/16
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 18/29

PC Magic:

Protection from Evil (Garrin): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Garrin.
Healing Mists of Osorus (Garrin, Kiri, Loche, Mako and Xorzen have breathed of the mists): All lost HP recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 HP per hour. Duration: "months."
Invisibility (Mako): Target: self.
Slow Poison (Amethu): Target: none yet. Duration: 164 rounds.
Enlarge (Amethu): Target: self. Duration: 17 rounds.

Player Resources:

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

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

Mako turns the winch to the gate removing the slack from the line. Once he feels the full tension on the gate he initiates the locking mechanism and calls out to Kiri. "I think I've got it locked down. Slowly loosen your grip on the gate and see if it holds."

[Scott308]

Loche

The Pict again tries to slash the horrible mockery of a man with his dagger, but the blade is unable to find a home.

Jeweled Dagger +1/ +2 vs. Undead (20): [1d20+1] = 8+1 = 9; Damage: [1d4+1] = 1+1 = 2; Damage, Large: [1d3+1] = 3+1 = 4

[ravenn4544]

Amethu, unused to his new height, tries to strike from a higher angle with his staff.

To Hit (THACO 20): [1d20+2] = 7+2 = 9

OOC: didn't add anything for his new height if that's relevant.

[AleBelly]

As the mushrooms take hold, Tjoruy's spirit leaves his body, floating above the fray. As he watches the battle, he realizes his uselessness. He's standing there chanting, with no discernible effect, as his companions fight. Seeing Garrin fall sinks his heart, and he wills a return to his corporeal self.

Grabbing a scroll from his pouch, he runs forward, unfurls the papyrus, and reads words of healing as he lays his hands upon the fallen paladin.

Cure serious wounds [2d8+1] = 9+1 = 10

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin lays on the ground, bleeding, oblivious to the melee around him.

[Urson]

Zahra
Zahra catches a glimpse of the...thing lurching toward them. She moves to attack (F3), which also puts her between Garrin and the monstrosity in the shadows.
att [1d20+4] = 3+4 = 7

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

Cruloc swings again.

Attack w/ longsword [1d20+2] = 9+2 = 11