Chapter 10: Secret of the Sleestaks

[jemmus]

Mungo was about to object to locking the Sleestaks in the room with no way to get out. But he realizes that they call for help. And besides, these guys teleported him here without notice, then made him pay a 10 gp toll. What a racket. Following Ko-Nan's suggestion, he stays outside the door.

[redwarrior]

Connack will take a quick look around. This sure looks like a typical guard-room. While the keys are being secured, he will do a quick search of the room for any concealed or hidden doors 2 in 6 for secret, 3 in 6 for concealed.. Assuming he comes up empty, he will move on to the second (NE) door and examine it check for traps, open locks. These creatures standing like statues bothers him more than if they were attacking.

[SilverBen]

Finver slings his hammer over his shoulder and examines the chest, testing it for any traps first. He'll open it with caution.

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

Whips for slave drivers and cruelty to animals. He takes the whip of the wall rather than leaving it for them to use on us later.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Hey, Doc- think one of these keys will fit that lock?

[ChubbyPixie]

"I knew it," says Fiefo regarding the motionless guards. Privately, he can't believe he was right.

"I wonder how long they stay this way? Right now might be a great time to check out what's behind the big, forbidden door..." he adds.

[jemmus]

You called it, Fiefo, Mungo says. That explains why the two ornamented guards in the other room didn't do anything while we were canoodling around. Seems they're like frozen fish during their Hour of Mystery or whatever. Let's check out the door to the forbidden chamber as soon Finver opens that chest and we've tried the keys in lock.

[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








Connak is unnerved by the eerie Sleestaks standing entranced with their bulbous eyes wide open!

Giving them a wide berth, the catman finds no concealed doors in the jailers' cavern-chamber, nor deathtraps at the northeastern door in the tunnel where he fails to pick the lock.

Behind him, Maskleyn the trickster takes the iron ring of keys and Sheriff Yul the whip. Fiefo the rat-man whispers, "I wonder how long they stay this way? Right now might be a great time to check out what's behind the big, forbidden door..."

Mungo the mole-man concurs as Finver carefully, quietly opens the unlocked chest.



By its peerless artistry and craftsmanship, it seems to be of the Altrusian culture like the great red door they passed earlier.

Within the beautiful chest, the dwarf finds hundreds of gold coins of a curious mint, a pearl in a small hinged box, a hand axe, one boot, a broken pair of scissors, a corkscrew and a furled scroll.

"That's mine!" whispers Ambrose too loudly, indicating the last item. "The fiends must have taken it from me when I was kidnapped!"


Actions?!


Map Detail:

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

Behind the DM Screen:

Connak: Pick lock (33%): [1d100]=59 Fails.

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)

[SilverBen]

Finver's eyes widen in surprise discovering the contents of the ornate chest. While taking a quick mental inventory, his facial expression reveals a moment lost in perplexed thought before his concentration snaps back to the two reptilian guards. He eases the lid shut again and dashes for the door cradling the chest under his arm. "Let's find a more secure place to return stolen property, Ambrose!"

[Rex]

Draupadi

Whispering, "Will it take 2 of us to carry the chest Finver?" She continues to stand watch for the others.

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo leaves the room and enters the hallway.

"Connak. What about this one over here?" he says, indicating the eastern door. "Unless I'm turned around somehow, it should lead straight to the Forbidden Chamber. There's gotta be something good in there, I bet." He seems uncharacteristically enthusiastic. He must really wonder what's behind that door...

[Bluetongue]

Sheriff Yul

Taking the chest will only alarm the guards that we are thieves. Take the pickings if you must be leave the box and relock it.

Then we should leave the room and lock it behind us.

He advises a course of action and leaves the room.

[redwarrior]

Fiefo leaves the room and enters the hallway.

"Connak. What about this one over here?" he says, indicating the eastern door. "Unless I'm turned around somehow, it should lead straight to the Forbidden Chamber. There's gotta be something good in there, I bet." He seems uncharacteristically enthusiastic. He must really wonder what's behind that door...

Connak considers Fiefo's words, they make as much sense as trying the locked door I don't think he knows about the keys yet, or the contents of the chest and nods, whispering yes, that is a good idea, though we should wait for the others before going in. and moves over to check out the door find traps, and if none try to pick locks if present.

[jemmus]

Cleric-tinkerer-amateur archaeologist Mungo sees the gold and other things and initially thinks, "Full refunds for us for our 10 gold piece tolls, you sleazy teleporting and toll-charging Sleestaks." But then a thought occurs to him and his tiny moleman eyes disappear completely under a squint. "Hmm. It's very doubtful that a Sleestak could craft this chest. And there was the beautiful ornate door. The Altrusians must have made it. The Altrusian said he and the mother and father and both Altrusians, but the babies are Sleestaks. Did I get that right? So... Eureka! The suppressed Altrusians are the actually the original form of the species. It's the crude oppressor Sleestaks that are the variation. What could be the cause? And, by Wells and Verne, is there a way to stop it?"

This chest may someday be an important cultural artifact for the Altrusians! he declares, long-nailed mole claw more or less pointing at the chest. The ray of pith helmet lantern sweeps around the room, left and right, illuminating the backs, shoulders, and pupils of several humans/demi-humans. If we can save them, that is. Anyone who was listening and wasn't occupied with doing something else probably wonders what he's going on about.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn grabs a couple of fistfuls of gold, shoving them into his pouch. 35 gp.

Dibs on the corkscrew! He pockets that, as well.

[SilverBen]

Finver slows his steps and hesitates at the door leading out of the guard chamber. He turns to face Sherrif Yul with his head bobbing side to side in an internal debate. His face is uneasy, warily eyeing the two reptilian guards in their dream state. His eyes shift between Mungo and Sherrif Yul, "True, ya may be right, Sherrif, but I'm inclined to side with Mungo and Ambrose on this one. If doing what's right seems to be helping Ambrose escape, then we might as well return the ape-man's property while we've got it in our hands - right? Afterall, if we're caught, we'll be no worse off for theft than for helping their prisoner escape." He stands tall (as tall as dwarf can in his pride) and confidently adds, "And no worries for ya all, I'll take on the consequences of returning this chect to Ambrose, if it comes to it. Y're all honorable fellas, 'specially you Sherrif, for saying so, and I like ya for it!

He'll retrieve the scroll from the chest and hand it to Ambrose. "Take your property back, Ambrose. Then tell us on the way what ya know about this chest and its contents." He snaps the lid shut again quietly, trying not to disturb the reptilian guards, and hastily exits warning, "And who ever takes up the rear, watch our back for those guards."

[ravenn4544]

Konan ignores the coins - why bother with something you can’t eat or kill with?

He waits to move forward “how can we bar this door behind us?”

[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








Mungo the mole-man priest softly exclaims, "This chest may someday be an important cultural artifact for the Altrusians! If we can save them, that is."

Some of the adventurers help themselves to the contents of the exquisite casket. Then they quietly close its lid, leave the chamber of the two eerily dormant Sleestaks, and carefully shut the door behind them.

In the tunnel corridor, Finver asks Ambrose about his recovered property from the jailers' chest. The civilized ape unfurls the scroll. "This is a map of the Forbidden Zone," he loudly whispers.



All the adventurers except Draupadi, Finver and Mungo realize the map shows regions of Xygax's Island they have not yet explored.

Ambrose also recovered some of his lost coins.



"I didn't recognize the other items. Probably the property of other poor misfortunates captured by those dreadful Sleestaks!"

At Fiefo's suggestion, Connak the cat-man rogue examines the southeastern door. Finding no deathtraps lying in wait, he deftly works his picklocks... to no avail.


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]=56 Fails.

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)

[SilverBen]

Finver stands fumbling with the bulky chest cradled in his arms, trying to balance it while keeping its contents from noisily shifting. He lifts up on to his toes long enough to peer through the party to see Connak unsuccessfully attempting the southeastern door. He releases his tongue from the top of the mouth, TSK and rolls his eyes to express disapproval. He rests the chest on the roughly hewn floor and hastily retrieves a sack from his backpack. He inserts the chest and slings the sack over his shoulder with a sigh of relief. "That's better, a little less awkward for making an escape on foot, eh?" he comments to nobody in particular.

He turns to the human barbarian, "Ko-Nan, Can ya get us through that door? An armful of treasure is no good as long as y're still in the Fordibben Zone." pointing towards the northeastern door.

Turning to Ambrose, he asks, "Where're we going on yer map, Ambrose? And what does yer map say about how far ta go before we're outta the Forbidden Zone? "

[jemmus]

Before leaving the room, inquistive collector/archaeology buff/tinkerer Mungo takes and examines the pearl in a small hinged box, hand axe, one boot, and broken pair of scissors. He also takes 10 gold coins to reimburse the toll he paid (which he still resents). Anyone need a hand axe? he asks.