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Chapter 9: Zargoth the Destroyer

Fourth Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Three. Nightfall. 15th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia



The crypt raiders, comprised of outlanders and renegade Verulians, search for fabled artifacts of sorcerous power said to be entombed with the great Pharaoh Xuthalhotep, that they might wield that power to overthrow Zargoth, self-styled demon god of the lost city of Khemsa.

Wounded but successful in their first foray into the ageless tombs of the Great Pyramid, the explorers rest and recover their strength in a secluded passageway.



Four hours and two watch shifts pass uneventful.

And then all hell breaks loose.

BOOM!

Just to the south of the adventurers' camp, the floor suddenly explodes upward in a violent upheaval of ancient stone blocks!

The earth-shattering explosion wakes the entire party who are partially healed by the incredible Mists of Osorus.

Before the dust can settle, from out of the jagged maw in the floor bursts Zargoth the Destroyer, demon god of the Great Pyramid!



The atrocious elder horror is even more terrifying than he appeared in their nightmares.

His gigantic, thickly muscled frame fills the corridor. In the place of limbs writhe countless tentacles, each ending in a wicked hook. His teeth are like knives. His horn, a longspear. And his single malevolent eye sees all, piercing shadow, flesh, dreams, and the minds of Men.

He knows their plan. He knows everything that transpires in the lost city!

With merry hatred, the horrifying demon roars in a voice like an erupting volcano that seems to shake the pyramid itself! "MISERABLE, CONNIVING, PLOTTING LITTLE SHITS! YOU DARE OPPOSE ME?! DID YOU THINK I WOULD JUST WAIT FOR YOU?! COME ON, YOU CRAVEN, COWARDLY WEAKLINGS! HERE I AM!! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE! TRY AND KILL ME!
I'LL EAT YOUR HEADS AND SHIT YOUR SKULLS!!"


Actions?!


Map:

Z = Zargoth. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.

Map Detail:






PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 6/10, Spells: 3/6 1st lvl
  Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 14/17, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 3/4 2nd lvl and 1/2 3rd lvl, Lantern
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 13/18, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 7/7, Spells: 0/2 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 18/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 2: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 2/6, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl
  Soruk: Verulian Osoran Cleric/Fighter 1/1: Move: 12", AC: 6(5), HP: 9/9, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 8, HP: 12/12
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 2: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 16/16

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 (All except Amethu and Zahra): 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."

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)

Loche is slack jawed. He expresses himself in the only way that seems appropriate at this moment:

Weel... Jobby.

Translation: Loche moves to flank the beastie. He dashes out the door to the west and then heads south. He really hopes his comrades figure out what he’s doing and he hopes the literal dick-head demon thinks he’s running.

As an aside, he kind of hopes those skulls have something useful to say. Maybe even in a way he understands. After all, wouldn’t it be an affront to this death god if one of his servants falls to Demon Lord Dickhead. At least, Loche chuckles to himself, we know this unicorn reject can’t digest bone.

Xorzen awakens with a start, not sure what is really happening. He believes that he may be trapped in some state of perpetual dreaming, so he focuses his trained mind to dispel the vision of the monstrous invasion.

Disbelieve. (no idea how that works)

Failing that, he throws one of his normal javelins at the beasts lone eye.

Javalin Attack [1d20+1] = 16+1 = 17 Damage [1d6+2] = 4+2 = 6

Garrin strides toward the eldritch horror. Although he is no priest, the paladin knows something of the ways of demons and devils. Whatever this creature is, it is not Zargoth.

"Begone, little demon!" he says. "Go and tell your master that we will not be scared by his little tricks. Whither he will it or no, we are coming for him. Now leave this place before we focus our wrath upon you!"

Garrin makes no move to attack, but defends himself if necessary. If the creature really is Zargoth/a demon, it should not be able to attack through Garrin's PfE. At least, I hope that's right....

Kiri, without spells and ill-placed to attack the thing, waits to see what response it will make to Garrin's taunting. He'll ready himself to run if it seems to be readying to cast a spell in their direction.

Amethu, stuck in the corner with no where to run or useful spells to cast at the very moment, clutches his mace and stares at the beast futilely bravely...

Soruk

Soruk peeks his head around the corner at the commotion. His dreams have been made real. All the years of nightmares and visions Soruk has experienced come flooding back in an instant. Every moment of his life has been punctuated with the mad ravings of this monster. Every celebration cut short by the nightly dreams haunting him. The source is now manifest.

After a moment of complete terror, the words and actions of his companions bring him back to reality. "Thee! I shall endeth thee. Knoweth that I am coming, and may thy dreams beest haunted!"

He tries to make his way forward to face Zargoth if nobody restrains him.

Mako:

Awoken from his very deep restfully sleep, Mako quickly jumps to his feet and hold his staff at the ready.

Keeping a wary eye on the beast, Garrin holds out his arm to stop Soruk's advance. "Hold, friend," he says, never taking his gaze from the creature. "This little imp is not he who fouls your dreams. It is an imposter."

Zahra

Zahra rolls to her feet, as instantly awake as the cat she seems to emulate. She shrieks a warcry and throws the 'black javelin' at the demon, ready to charge afterward.

att [1d20+2] = 19+2 = 21
javelin [1d6+3] = 2+3 = 5 Plus any benefits from the black javelin

Fourth Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Three. Nightfall. 15th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia







And, lo, came Zargoth the Destroyer. And his wrath was terrible.

Loche immediately flees west into the ancient darkness of the labyrinthine pyramid!

Only one adventurer attempts to mount a defense. Shrieking a warcry, Zahra the amazon leaps into action. She seizes Xorzen's black javelin and hurtles it with the full strength of her arm into Zargoth's neck! The strike would have killed an ox.

Horrifically, Zargoth only pulls it free as he laughs with murderous joy. "YES! THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" The hideous, inhuman figure is framed by a writhing halo of buzzing flies.

Astonished, most of the explorers cannot believe their eyes. Disbelieving, they offer no defense. And Zargoth offers no mercy in return.

Xorzen concentrates, trying to make this nightmarish horror go away. And in that instant, he is lost. His pale visage of focus and determination transforms into a gruesome mask of blood and brains. His skull has been split to the teeth. (-23hp!)



Simultaneously, more tentacles that end in razor-sharp talons flail and sunder the explorers.

Garrin belittles the atrocious monstrosity and turns his back on it to assure Soruk there is nothing here to fear. Soruk watches in horror as Garrin's head flies from his shoulders on a jet of hot, arcing blood that explodes from the Atlantean's neck! (-24hp) Garrin's body staggers a few steps before slumping to the ageless stones. It jerks and twitches and then it is still.

Kiri and Amethu do nothing, waiting, watching, and then they too are cut down by tentacles like barbed whips that rend the living flesh from their bones. (-17hp and -18hp respectively)

As she reaches for another weapon, Zahra the amazon is disemboweled by a hooked tentacle and falls face down in a pool of growing crimson. (-21hp) Her valiant story is ended, cut short.



Soruk tries to speak with Zargoth and slowly advances. Arthfael and Mako stand and get their weapons in front of them.


(Next round. Zargoth wins initiative...)

"COME, YOU POISONOUS LITTLE USURPERS!" the vulgar fiend laughs as his hooks cleave apart the hesitant adventurers, killing Arthfael, Mako and Soruk in a gruesome spray of blood, bone and entrails. (-23hp, -16hp, -19hp respectively)

"YES, I REMEMBER YOU TOO," he spits at Soruk's corpse.


(Next round. Loche wins initiative...)

Loche has no choice but to stop running and get a torch alight, before he hurts himself in the pitch darkness. The screams of his friends have stopped. Then demonic laughter echoes throughout the corridors of antiquity.
"YES, WHAT FUN, LITTLE ONE. I'LL HUNT YOU THROUGH THE CITY, AS I DID IN AGES PAST. MUCH MORE SPORTING THAN HAVING MY VICTIMS LAID BEFORE MY FEET."

Loche resumes fleeing and suddenly, the thing's ghastly head bursts into the light.




Ravenous jaws devour Loche alive. (-26hp!)




And so it is ended, in the only way it could have possibly ended.

Thus ever to any who would dare oppose Zargoth the Destroyer, demon god of the dreaming pyramid.


The End.

Wow. Sorry guys. Didn't expect this.
Well, at this point, there are a couple things we can do to continue the game. Please click here and we can talk about possible next steps:
viewtopic.php?f=376&t=7342