Chapter 10: Secret of the Sleestaks

[jemmus]

Mungo sweeps his head lantern around the passage, although some luminous fungi seem to have already mostly lit it. He's only 4'6" tall, andit turns out that he's over 70 years old . He echoes the thought, "Where is that Ambrose?" He follows along toward the suggested door.

[Rex]

Draupadi

Draupadi also helps cover the rear.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn squeezes into the little alcove beside the NW door, trying to position himself to have a view of all three of the doors. He's tense, ready to cast an illusion if needed.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan agrees with Yul on the NW door suggestion. He'll listen at it if no one else is closer.

[SilverBen]

Finver folds his arms in thought for a moment considering the three doors before them. He turns back towards the party, addressing the gnome in a whisper with a dawning realization, "Yes, Maskelyn, excellent idea! Perhaps an illusion is just what we need - a decoy, in fact! Here's my plan: I'll approach the doors and try them. If anything moldy, Sleestak, or nasty critter comes out to greet us, you cast an illusion of a decoy dwarf!" He unloops his war hammer and surveys the party from the middle of the group to its rear in a search of consensus, continuing with, "Got that folks? If trouble comes out, we move back and make our stand in the guest quarters - not here." He grips his war hammer in both hands and finishes, "There's no room to swing at anything in here."

If Maskelyn agrees, the dwarf approaches each door, examines them (especially the handles for any poison needle traps, the ceilings for green slime trails, webs betraying spiders, holes leading to nests of rodents or swarming insects, and any enchanted resonance he can detect as he approaches - fzzzZZT ZAP!!) before he looks back with a signal of coordination to Maskelyn.

He starts from the left door and moves to the right while holding his war hammer at the head for quick draw. When he takes the knob, he'll sidestep towards the hinges to use the door as a makeshift shield. He will use the war hammer in a defensive technique, jabbing, blocking, and parrying but not full swings.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
You got it, Doc!

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo watches Finver's elaborate preparations, shrugs, and simply readies himself in a crouch, fork forward in case anything comes through the first door.

He keeps glancing to the east door, though. "Er... anybody else morbidly curious what's in the forbidden chamber? That's got to be the room right behind those big double doors we saw. Just saying..."

[jemmus]

Yes, we should keep an eye on that door, old moleman Mungo says. But as my mom used to say, "One worm at a time, Mungo. You'll choke." He stands behind Finver, grasps his smithing hammer, raises his slightly smelly bulette scale shield, and aims his helmet lantern's beam at the northwest door.

[Inferno]

City of the Sleestaks, Deep Beneath the Barren Wasteland
The Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Ten. Night? April 5th, 912 CY








The liberated adventurers investigate three doors in the subterranean channel north of the Sleestak prison.

Mungo the mole-man mutters, "Where is that Ambrose?"

"I'm right behind you!" comes a whisper.

Ears are cautiously pressed against the trio of wooden portals. All is quiet as the Hours of Mystery.

Connak the cat-man discovers no lurking deathtraps lying in wait.

Finver the dwarf methodically inspects each door and tests each handle. All three are locked tight.


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. PCs are purple. Sleestaks are green. Altrusians are orange. Ambrose is brown.





PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 19/19
Draupadi: Human Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 22/34, Spells: 4/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 11/26
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 3: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 15/31
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 25/39
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 20/34, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl, Lantern
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 31/38

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

End of the World (game description)
Strange New World (maps and realms)
Memory Tapes (the story so far)
Viewscreen (the story so far in images)

[redwarrior]

Connak will move to the door that Yul indicated (the most NW) and attempt to pick its lock. He's not really sure why this one is preferred to the others, but he's done OK by Yul these last few weeks.

[Rex]

Draupadi

Remains covering the rear.

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo braces himself. "I wonder if the slizard men even can wake up while they are tranced. Maybe that's why they lock up their guests - because they'd be unable to defend themselves?" he says aloud.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn watches Connak work on the lock, ready to throw a diversion. He chuckles at Fiefo's question. Maybe I need to go pants one of them...

[ChubbyPixie]

In perhaps the closest he'll ever get to mirth, Fiefo, you think, almost smiles at Maskelyn's comment... but he turns out to just be grimacing in a weird way.

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

Takes a shoulder to the door but it doesn't budge.

Sheriff Yul open doors vs 1-2 [1d6]=6

[SilverBen]

Finver attempts to force the (NW) door open without success. He quietly releases his tongue from the top of his mouth to express disapproval aloud, "Tsk, nope, she won't move ".
Open doors on 1-2 [1d6]=5

He walks to the other (NE) door and tries again without success. "Bah! Stuck too!" he mutters in a barely audible growl.
Open doors on 1-2 [1d6]=4

He strokes his beard in thought and makes his way back through the narrow passageway, between the standing party, "Pardon me, give me a little room please, I just want to try this last one (the first, SE door) to be thorough."
Open doors on 1-2 [1d6]=1

With a chortle of victory, he entusiastically announces in a whisper, "I think I can force it open."

[Inferno]

City of the Sleestaks, Deep Beneath the Barren Wasteland
The Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Ten. Night? April 5th, 912 CY





Deep in the subterranean city of the Sleestaks, the adventurers creep into the tunnel outside the prison.

Fiefo softly opines, "I wonder if the slizard men even can wake up while they are tranced. Maybe that's why they lock up their guests - because they'd be unable to defend themselves?"

Before the warriors can attempt to smash down the three doors, Connak bids that they wait. Then the feline felon expertly plies his trade, picking the lock on the northwestern door in a minute flat.

Holding his breath, the cat-man slowly turns the knob and eases the door open on silent hinges.

Beyond is a rough-hewn chamber, cut from the living rock.




Within it stand two Sleestaks!




Before the adventurers can react, they sense something amiss. The large reptilian-insectoids are motionless, lifeless, as if in some strange state of hibernation!

Around them are tables, chairs, a chest, and a wooden peg board that holds a whip and an iron ring of keys.

"The jailers!" Ambrose whisper-shouts.


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. PCs are purple. Sleestaks are green. Altrusians are orange. Ambrose is brown.

Behind the DM Screen:

Connak: Open Lock (33%): [1d100]=28 Success!

PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 19/19
Draupadi: Human Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 22/34, Spells: 4/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 11/26
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 3: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 15/31
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 25/39
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 0/1 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 20/34, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl, Lantern
Sheriff Yul: Robot Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 31/38

PC Magic:

None currently

Player Resources:

End of the World (game description)
Strange New World (maps and realms)
Memory Tapes (the story so far)
Viewscreen (the story so far in images)

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn walks quietly to the board and pockets the keys. We might need these... he half-whispers.

[Rex]

Draupadi

Draupadi stands watch at the door waiting to see what goes on.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan scans the room. He nods at the keys being taken. "Let us leave and seal this door from the outside..."