Chapter 11: The Parallax Reality

[Rex]

Draupadi

"It would probably make lots of noise and bring attention to where we are, I would like to have at least a escape route planned before doing that."

[SilverBen]

Finver examines the room trying to discern its purpose. He asks aloud in wonderment to his companions, "Whaddya make of all this, my friends? A vehicle fer one or many? Or a vessel ta transport cargo? Do ya see shackles or other constraints, p'rhaps an evil laboratory like tha one we found our new companion bound in? But there's fer sure one thing missin' and that's all them OBEY signs everywhere, so this must belong ta tha zombies

[ravenn4544]

Ko-Nan swallows the bile rising up in his throat. "There is only one thing to call this!" he barks out, "more corruption from the wizard!" He raises his axe to smash the foul contraption! He steps forward - but hesitates. His knuckles are white on the handle. The axe head quaking. He curses and spits on the thing and storms off to the south east. His boil settles to a simmer as he collects himself and secure the perimeter...

[ChubbyPixie]

Seeing the pipes and tubes and glowing liquids, Fiefo has an unpleasant flashback to the Wizard's tower and the moments just before they were devoured by... the thing. "I don't like this..." he says.

He edges closer and peers cautiously to see if there are creatures suspended in vats, or hints of any other life betraying current occupation of this bizarre lab.

[Urson]

Maskelyn
I'm with you, Doc- this looks like a big pile of no good at all.
I wish I had a few of Bugs' red sticks- 'Boom!' no more problem.

Maskelyn will examine the machines closely, being very careful not to push any buttons or pull any levers- even though his natural inclination is to do both. If he can find a route, he'll climb onto the Gizmo to examine the top.

How big is this thing, anyway?

[Inferno]

The City of the Sleestaks, Deep Beneath the Forbidden Zone
The Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Eleven. Morning? April 6th, 912 CY






Awestruck, the fugitives from the City of the Sleestaks cautiously enter the vast cavern filled with mysterious sorcery engines beyond their comprehension! The chamber is devoid of life. The only sound is a low hum and a steady gurgling.

None of the adventurers have seen anything like this. Several towering glass vats are filled with green liquid. Suspended in that viscous slime are unrecognizable shapes, and dozens of small white spheres.

Of the pale globes, the Altrusian elder gasps, "Those are Altrusian eggs!"

Maskelyn cannot find a way to scale the sheer, immense vats. Ko-Nan secures the southeast tunnel and finds it branches in twain and continues on.

There is other incredible alchemical equipment here, including 22 glass bottles of different liquids.


Actions?!


Map Detail:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.
PCs are purple. Altrusians are orange. Ambrose is brown.





PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 12/19
Draupadi: Human Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 16/34, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 8/26
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 3: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 10/31
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 11/39
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 6/34, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl, Lantern

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)

[jemmus]

Somebody get the liquids! Mungo exclaims. No offense, but not you, Maskelyn. Well not all of them, at least. Maybe just a few of them. You know, to spread them around, in case of an emergency, or like, we get separated....

He considers the implications of the as yet unnamed Altrusian's outburst. Through his thick goggles he addresses him. Sir, I am Mungo, cleric of the divine Professor, traveler of both space and time. Traveler of space at over 150 miles in one hour. Traveler of time back to the past, and then back to the future. At your service. May we have your name, sir, so we may... know your name?

And then, a sudden idea dawns on him. The mole-man's tiny eyes widen and magnify behind his goggle and eyeglasses of true seeing. Sorry to interrupt, but... Are you saying.... Are you saying.... The hidden puppet-masters are making Altrusian babies into Sleestak babies?!

[Rex]

Draupadi

"It does look like that may be what is going on." She grabs some of the potions. "I wonder if there is a way to save some of the eggs."

[Urson]

Maskelyn
Maskelyn stops for a moment, blank-eyed and mumbling. Three! Everyone, get three of the bottles- and somebody get four.
He collects 3- a red, a blue, and an orange- and steps away from the collection.

If we could get the eggs out of the vats- maybe we could flush 'em good with water.

[jemmus]

Mungo takes three of the bottles and stows them in his pack. Washing them down might be a good idea. Altrusian sir, what kind of care do the eggs need to hatch? I suppose you don't have to sit on them like a chicken does?

[ChubbyPixie]

Fiefo will grab three of the bottles. "So far we've had 100% success rate drinking strange liquids we've found, so this should be fine," he says, stowing them in his pack.

He'll then see if he can identify a way to drain or open the vats. "This has got to be where they change 'em to green Sleestaks, but the question is, why bother? So they can rule over a vast kingdom of just a few caves? I don't get it."

[redwarrior]

Connack grabs four of the bottles and stows them. As the others discuss the eggs, he makes a detailed search of the room looking for other valuables or hidden compartments.

[ravenn4544]

Ko-nan wants nothing to do with the corrupted poisons of a devilish wizard.

[SilverBen]

Finver's eyes widen with astonishment when he realizes the room's purpose and he warns, "Stay close everyone, they'll be keepin' a keen eye on this hatchery fer any disturbances. I say don't touch anythin in here, it can't be good. Be prepared fer traps and more guards ta be protectin' this breedin' ground from intruders, like us."

He hurries to Ko-Nan's side to explore the tunnels ahead.

[jemmus]

Mungo adjusts his thick goggles and also carefully searches the room for hidden doors, traps, and anything else of interest. But first he consults his thesaurus and makes a logical statement. The Altrusians children are Sleestaks. The zombie-like things are controlling the Sleestaks and the Altrusians. Therefore, they are probably behind making the polite, cultivated Altrusians into impertinent, loutish Sleestaks. Therefore, to save the Altrusians, we must eliminate the zombie-like things! Or at least find a way to arrest their scoundrelish villainy and malfeasance.

[Inferno]

The City of the Sleestaks, Deep Beneath the Forbidden Zone
The Island of Xygax the Wizard, Land of One Thousand Towers
Day Eleven. Morning? April 6th, 912 CY








Deep in the secret caverns near the City of the Sleestaks, amid strange sorcery-engines and alchemical equipment, the invaders of reality fill their pockets with bottles of mysterious elixirs.

As Ambrose looks on, the Altrusian elder answers Mungo's query, "Among my people, I am called the Wandering Master."



Mungo blurts, "Are you saying.... The hidden puppet-masters are making Altrusian babies into Sleestak babies?!"

"Yes," the Wandering Master replies in sorrow and anger, eyes locked upon the mutating eggs.

Fiefo exclaims, "This has got to be where they change 'em to green Sleestaks, but the question is, why bother? So they can rule over a vast kingdom of just a few caves? I don't get it."

The Wandering Master says, "I know not why the unseen puppet masters are secretly transforming the Altrusian race into a war-like army in thrall to them."

Mungo elucidates, "The Altrusians' children are Sleestaks. The zombie-like things are controlling the Sleestaks and the Altrusians. Therefore, they are probably behind making the polite, cultivated Altrusians into impertinent, loutish Sleestaks. Therefore, to save the Altrusians, we must eliminate the zombie-like things! Or at least find a way to arrest their scoundrelish villainy and malfeasance."

"Yes," the Wandering Master replies with a seething determination.

Connak, Fiefo and Mungo search the vast chamber (area 22) and find no further valuables, secret doors nor means to open the great vats. But they note the northeastern passage extends deeper into the living rock.

Finver helps Ko-Nan explore the forking tunnel to the southeast. They discover one branch leads to an iron door!


Actions?!


Map:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.
PCs are purple. Altrusians are orange. Ambrose is brown.

Map Detail:






PC Status:

Connak: Cat-Man Fighter/Thief 2/3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 12/19
Draupadi: Human Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 2, HP: 16/34, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl
Fiefo LeBratt: Rat-Man Fighter 3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 8/26
Finver Karstlander: Dwarven Fighter 3: Move 6", AC: 2(1), HP: 10/31
Ko-Nan: Human Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 11/39
Maskelyn: Gnome Illusionist 3: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
Mungo: Mole-Man Cleric 4: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 6/34, Spells: 1/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl, Lantern

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
Not meaning to be rude, Doc- but how often do you Altrusians lay eggs? If they're tryin' to build an army....

Maskelyn takes another look at the tanks- can he estimate how thick the tank walls are? Maybe get some guess if they can be broken?

[Rex]

Draupadi

Draupadi will also look the tanks over and see if there is a way to sabotage them.

"We need to figure out a way to prevent them from building their army so we can execute it once we have another way out of here."

[jemmus]

Mungo
Yes, after we've found an escape route is good, I think. His tiny eyes behind his thick goggles peer at the tanks' fittings and mechanisms. He mumbles to himself. So maybe the fluid goes through this pipe, around this bend. Turning this thing might open or shut off the flow, like a tap on an ale keg.... (I could use a good mug of ale about now....) Wait, is this pipe the one that puts the fluid in or drains it out? Hard to tell. I'd better start over from the beginning....

Intelligence 9 [1d20]=18

[ChubbyPixie]

While some of the others bend their intellects to disrupting the vats, a task he was frankly ill-suited for, Fiefo decides to nose a little further into the northwestern passage, carefully rounding the turn and hugging the southern wall, fork at the ready.