SESSION 140: Carnage in (Another) Temple of the Damned (there really is no shortage of these things)
In a corridor staring at a sealed crypt door not far north of the big steel doors of Nergal and the presumptive final boss. “Should we just do it?” “No let’s get back to town rest up, commune and grab Rammer” “What about these last three crypts?” “Leave ‘em”. And so our hobos crept their way out and back to Helix to plan the final assault.
The journey was buggy, wet, scratchy and cold. So really not bad at all. Returning to Helix we found Rammer and the other odds and sods making the most of a virtually unlimited stack of coin and assorted loot. They were well into another day at the tavern and it was hardly mid-day. Looks like we need a few days to dry out Rammer and make our final plan for the final battle. This gave Carla the novel idea of seeking direct spiritual guidance from TMB in hopes of gleaning some final hints as to what was waiting beyond door number one. Orbital overlords are odd and likely insane entities that can be fickle and obscure in nature. With Bimble’s assistance our green girl did achieve some enlightenment. Enough at least to convince the group that the thing that was once known as the Ossithrax Pejorative was once, and may still be a black dragon. Not necessarily a minion of Nergal but definitely touched by the Death god’s essence. Well it was something, the gods are not interested in holding hands either. They demand shows off faith – get the shit done warrior priest, I demand courage!
Three days later, once again traversing the bog of eternal stench. Boots full of muck and clouds of irritating insects. This was not going to be an easy expedition. First, it was a pair of Rocs on the hunt. Massive beasts with 20’ wingspans playing death from above with our hobos. These sorta encounters cause all sorts of challenges for our group – making them great. It took a bit of running around but they were eventually able to knock one down and convinced the other to flee before anything real cool happened (being dropped from 250’ or taken back to nest to serve as bird food would have been great..). They cleaned up and began to press on but then we moved onto the next thing. The second occurrence was triggered by all the running around and the impact of a colossal bird into the earth. The vibrations attracted a very out of place purple worm, it popped up looking for an easy meal. The hobos took a bit more of a beating but their multitude really is a burden for a singular giant worm thing.
Arriving back at Barrowmaze our gang got their focus on and went straight to the final ancient temple of Nergal to face whatever boss monsta awaited. The tomb of tombs seemed to be caught flat-footed and the run was without obstacle.
Here we are. The precipice of doom.
The antechamber of the Great Temple of Nergal. Massive steel double doors (each door almost 8 feet across) covered in bas relief depict Nergal with his arms outstretched and a large group of hooded followers walking toward him. Skulls and chaos swarm around him.
Carla and Frankie the golem could sense that a great ancient evil lies behind these great doors. Frankie’s hold on rationality was visibly diminishing by the moment. Charles’s eyes were rolling into the back of his head as Franz the sword’s will began to rise - it sensed an ancient and malevolent power.
Bunny pulled out the key. Our members of the spiritual persuasion called down for final resolve. Our one-legged wizard brought forth defensive magics while our sword types quaffed a host elixirs. This ain’t the Olympics we is all about performance enhancement. Boris the goofy gimp that he is took to the air- HARGH! Bunny chugged back a dose of invisibility juice and inserted the key and then presumably stepped aside. Sloth and Steve pushed open the ancient doors with ease.
Beyond, was an antechamber with a corridor leading to the larger temple. The way was lined with hideous statues of the death god. The tanks pressed forward according to Ding-We’s master plan. A grim voice spoke from the darkness, “come forth little mice”. Just as the front line entered into Nergal’s temple another voice was heard, this time from behind. “It is them, the blasphemers crush them!” From the chamber, “I have no fear of mice madman. I bow to neither man or god”. Light stones we cast and shot into the darkness to reveal the lost glory of death.
An age ago, this was the Great Temple of Nergal. It was constructed from a large cave by his followers and is lined with a score of massive ten foot wide pillars to support the 50 foot ceiling. A huge broken statue of Nergal, the largest ever created in his honor, can be found at the back of the chamber.
The Beast was heard but not seen. Ossithrax was the master of his domain. Ding-We called forth a wall of ice to shield the softer hobos as the warriors searched for the adversary. First skeletons arose, then magics and finally a gout of acid. It was somewhere in the darkness attempting to lure our hobos deeper into the serpents tomb/ lair. This did not work and eventually Ossithrax did reveal itself freezing at least Boris (who was flying) with fear, leaving him helplessly floating like a fibre filled turd in a bowl.
Ossithrax, now easily a thousand years old in unlife was arrogant and ignored the warnings of the Keeper. It became angry as our hobos huddled behind walls and did not display the courage to charge in to their doom. The beast, a lich-dragon, depleted of magics brought the battle to the hobos. Thinking that they were suitably near death that it wouldn’t take much to get to enjoy the taste of flesh. Humanoid flesh is the best. But fate and the Gods are fickle. The tables turned and Ossithrax lost advantage while our hobos turned on the meat grinders. The dragon now saw “that even death may die” and attempted a final gambit charging in to breach the icy barrier to kill the weaklings. It was too late, the injuries already grievous broken bits of bone littered the floor. The Ossithrax Pejorative met final death just as it prepared to consume Ding-We. Victory. None had fallen today but the list of fallen comrades to get to this point has been extensive.
BarrowMaze had been defeated.
ROLECALL
Carla the Green Matriarch of TMB (C8) 129406 xp +10% <200001> CRT 1d12/III
Scars: permanent loss left index finger and scarring on arm
Bimbles the Patriarch of GSS (C8) 172646 xp +5% <200001> CRT 1d12/III
Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed arm
Hobo Steve the Superhero (F8) 169577 xp +5% <240,001> CRT 1d24/V
Brain Damaged: reduced mental capacity (tough night on the town)
Rahgnar the Dwarven Champion (D7) 127414 xp <140001> CRT 1d16/IV
Serious wound: permanent loss of an eye (-1 to missile fire)
Critical Wound: disembowelled less able to process poison (-1 penalty)
Raul the Voyager (MD8) 151673 xp +10% <240000> CRT 1d12/III
Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -4,
Removed one of his own nostrils.
Boris the Dwarven Lord (D9) 305632 xp +10% <400001> CRT 1d20/IV
Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -3, carved up face
Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed arm
Wound: Bad leg (-5’ MV)
Multiple Injuries: lost 20 teeth, drools a lot CHA -1
Ding-We the Peg-Legged Sorcerer (W9) 367423 xp +10% <470001> CRT 1d10/I
Critical Wound: Left leg obliterated, runs at ½ rate (peg required)
Bunny the Thief! (T9) 199209 xp <280001> +10% CRT 1d20/II
Light wound: permanent loss of pinky finger, off hand
Ramrod the Cloned Pilferer (T7) 71232 xp +5% <80001> CRT 1d16/II
Serious wound: Bad Back (-1 stone CC)
Scars: Neurological damage to hip, noticeable limp
Missing six teeth talks with a lisp
The Henchmen
Saffron the Mad Fairy Queen of Mad Ribbits (FY7) 143632 xp <200001> CRT 1d10/III
Moderate wound: Scar on abdomen
Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed guts
Sloth the Bopper (L7) 128417 xp +10% <178800> CRT 1d20/IV or 1d6/G (vs. s, m)
Mental Illness: Mummy-a-phobic
Nara the Nearly Naked Purple Siddha Girl (P6) 58398 xp +5% <66000> CRT 1d6/I
Biff Bartley the Half-Orc Blackguard (HO7) 63243 <120000> +5% CRT 1d12/II
‘BOB’ the Deadly Shade (N7) 59275 <90000> +5% CRT 1d16/II
Felix Ignatius Hemlock the previously Skeletal Sleuth (I7) 42208 <80001> +5% CRT 1d16/II
Mason the Canon of Yrrrg. (C6) 40211 <50001> CRT 1d10/III
Charles in Charge the Myrmidon (F6) 41226 <64000> +10% CRT 1d16/IV
Critical Wound: Punctured lung (-2 CON)
Yasser Imaphat the Djinn (D4) 30372 <32501> CRT 1d6/II
Gurn Hammerhand the Dwarven Swordsman (D3)
Wendul the Thaumaturgist (W5)
RESERVES
All healed up and ready to go, for now.
Elapsed Campaign Time
315 days at beginning of session (also applies to recuperation)
Join us for session One-Hundred-and-Forty-One when we ask the questions:
With Barrowmaze defeated it is time to move on, what will the river have in store for us?
Who is coming and who is staying? For we will never come back this way again.
Tale of the Tape
They all survived.. I must have done something wrong.
KILLS
Rocs (2) 2400
Purple worm 3300
The Ossithrax Pejorative 6666
LOOT
Ruby pendant 500 gp
Diamond encrusted comb 1000 gp
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