Down the Murder Hole (Session 216)

 SESSION 216: Into the Bloody Hole

The contamination runs deep into the earth excising the malign influence is not going to be easy the portents are deadly.

Day 135 Continued Clear & Cold (12.20/0605): Returning to the evil altar chamber. It was time to smash this thing. Even with proper tools it took a couple of hours to wreck the thing and the final analysis was that the act was not enough to end the wicked influence across the lands. The hobos would have to descend into the gross butt hole that the slime-man-thing had been plugging. It was getting later in the day and so it was decided that they would have a full rest before continuing deeper.

Day 136 Unknown weather (12.20/0605): It was not a clean tidy hole but a red-stained foul and slimy hole. It dropped down for about 4’ to a landing before turning into a 5’ wide moderately steep (~3:1) tunnel descending into darkness. Fortunately,  or maybe not, iron handles had been installed in an offsetting wall to wall pattern. It looks like this chute sees some regular action. Steve took the lead and began the traverse. The handles were needed the tunnel had a high clay content making the constantly moist tube more than a little slick. The tunnel went a good long ways down (around 800’). The veritable bowels of the earth one might say. The tunnel opened into a chamber and the clay transitioned to sand, gravel and ancient shells. This seemed like almost like a beach. They could not fathom the size of the chamber but our hobos could feel its enormity. There light sources did nothing to dispel this sensation. Ding-We fell back on his usual plan for subterranean exploration – follow the wall until you walk all the way around the joint. There may have been some mumbles suggesting that the tried and true might not work this time but old one-leg paid no heed. 

They walked for some time without any noticeable arcing in the trajectory. They did however spot a speck of light off in the distance, deeper across the beach perhaps a mile. Course correction time. First the beach gently sloped down and then transitioned into rolling dunes. Perhaps at the halfway point as they walked down a dune they were ambushed by four giant crabs that hide below the sands at the bottom of the dune. Steve rushed in, he knew he was fighting for quality dinners in the upcoming days. “We are going to need more butter!”. The battle raged but good luck trying to beat ten hungry hungry hobos. After chopping up the crabs and stowing away the good bits they pressed on. 

 It took another 15 or so minutes to reach “the light”. It was a waning campfire. Approaching closer and getting some better illumination on the situation revealed a bunch of stuff. This was more than just a camp it was a base-camp. Crates and supplies were in  abundance. Oh ya and there were five robed corpses around the dying fire pit as well. The bodies were moist, slashed by apparent nasty law not too long ago. Maybe just an hour or so. Tracks were then seen. Webbed and clawed humanoid prints that lead off into the darkness. The team followed. A hundred feet later they came to a ship partially beached. Just beyond was the waterline gently lapping at the shore of this subterranean anomaly. Looking across the water their lights reflected back when they passed over a horde of eyes, glassy unblinking large and plate-like, just above the surface. The heads of these things, from what could be seen, were a sickening mix of amphibian, fish and man. Both groups did nothing. They watched and we watched back. 

Both the mind of the common murderhobo and that of deep things are often slow to process. After an extended pause the creatures acted. The leader spoke, with a frog-like croaking and bubbling voice, as they began to move forward, “Filth of Abyzou do you return to defile our depths further? We have killed those that came before you. You will be more food for Mother and Father! We shall protect Y’ha-gom-laothl”. This sounded like a fight to most, but Carla was wearing her universal communicator and heard more than just croaking. She stepped forward and responded with her own ribbits. Saffron found all this frog-talk hilarious. Carla explained that they despise the cultists of Abyzou as well and had killed some on the surface and had desecrated an altar. This caused pause or maybe it was other things lurking in the waters nearby.. “We know not what this Abyzou is but we believe it is a poison to our lands far above on the surface and intend to destroy its malignant influence”. 

The creatures disappeared under the surface for a long series of moments before the leader breached once more. “You hunt, we let you live, we watch, we always watch. Follow the blood tide to floating rock you find it there and other things”. “What other things?” “War for the rock. Sanguine red, jellyfish cosmic and Histrix. Red is poison, jelly is control, Histrix is war. Destroy Red plague and maybe others, we let you pass”. With that the creature disappeared under the surface. 

Factions begin to populate the board and our gang wonder what they have gotten themselves into.

Inspecting the ship it is clear that the deep ones had given it a thrashing after killing the goons and would require repair. Retracing back to the camp to see what could be found. The loot: a small pouch of coin, five briny smelling potions and a bunch of empty/ spilled broken bottles of rum. Rhags lamented the loss of any hooch, good thing they had found a case of rum topside in the initial caverns. Ding-We was indifferent to the potions, which he identified as water breathing, “I got a bunch of these”. After a short pow-wow it was decided that there was enough wood around the camp to repurpose for boat repairs. Returning to the ship along the waterline things went bad.

As the group moved along the surf three crocodiles of significant size attacked. The ambush was primeval in its excellence. Both Steve, Bimbles and Ding-We were trapped in enormous jaws and began receiving a thrashing. The gang jumped into the waters to prevent the monsters from escaping which would mean certain death for those locked inside the deadly maws. Steve was unusually astute and transformed his rod of lordly might into a ladder forcing open the crocodile’s mouth allowing him to roll out. Ding-We’s doom was allayed by a number of fortuitous blows from the other hobos in proximity. Bimbles however was not so lucky. The beast crushed down further and then shook. Bimbles broke in half and his lower portion was swallowed as his now lifeless upper torso dropped into the surf. 

All hands on deck at this moment as the crocodile began receding back into deeper water. They were able to kill it and the other crocodile before any further fatalities. The gang were messed up. Rhags, Dolec and Mason pulled the Bimbles killer onto the beach and opened it up to reclaim the cleric’s lower torso. The Bimbles bits were then stowed away within the portable hole along with a bunch of giant crab meat and some crocodilian belly. What's wrong with storing your dead alongside your dinner? They climbed aboard the ship to conduct healing, rest and to reflect for a spell.

 

ROLECALL 

Carla the Green High Priestess of TMB (C9) 296582 xp +10% <300001> CRT 1d12/III

            Scars: permanent loss left index finger and scarring on arm

Bimbles the High Priest of GSS (C9) 270698 xp +5% <300001> CRT 1d12/III

            Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed arm

Hobo Steve the Lord (F9) 282057 xp +5% <360,001> CRT 1d24/V

            Brain Damaged: reduced mental capacity (tough night on the town)

            Touched from Beyond the Grave (Sloth): Eating disorder (x2 food) -5’ mve

            Blessing of Orcus (Consumption -1 CON)

            Injury: -1 STR from brutal arm shatter

Rahgnar the Dwarven Superhero (D8) 203046 xp <280001> CRT 1d20/IV

            Serious wound: permanent loss of an eye (-1 to missile fire)

            Critical Wound: disembowelled less able to process poison (-1 penalty)

            Missing thirteen teeth  

Raul the Voyager (MD8) 238829 xp +10% <240000> CRT 1d12/III

            Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -4, 

Removed one of his own nostrils.

Boris the Dwarven Lord (D9) 352754 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 25 teeth (7 remaining), drools a lot CHA -1

            Serious Injury: Brain Drain -2 INT

            Serious wound: permanent loss of an eye (-1 to missile fire)

            Injury: -Crushed -8” H             

Ding-We the Peg-Legged Sorcerer (W9) 456405 xp +10% <470001> CRT 1d10/I

            Critical Wound: Left leg obliterated, runs at ½ rate (peg required)

Bunny the Thief! (T9) 250189 xp <280001> +10% CRT 1d20/II

            Light wound: permanent loss of pinky finger, off hand

Ramrod the Cloned Magsman (T8) 153935 xp +5% <160001> CRT 1d20/II

             Serious wound: Bad Back (-1 stone CC)

            Scars: Neurological damage to hip, noticeable limp (-5’ mve)

            Missing eight teeth talks with a lisp

 

            The Henchmen

Saffron the Mad Fairy Queen of Ribbits (FY7) 173128 xp <200001> CRT 1d10/III

            Moderate wound: Scar on abdomen

            Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed guts

Sloth the Bopper (L7) 170997 xp +10% <178800> CRT 1d20/IV or 1d6/G (vs. s, m)

            Mental Illness: Mummy-a-phobic

            Missing ten teeth

Nara the Nearly Naked Purple Swami Girl (PS7) 109599 xp +5% <125000> CRT 1d16/II

Wraith Drained: -1 CON

Biff Bartley the Half-Orc Blackguard (HO7) 101166 <120000> +5% CRT 1d12/II

Lasting injury: Crushed spinal column -6”H, -5’mv, -10% thieving

Sasha Plasha the Warden (R8) 116826 xp +10% <200000> CRT 1d10/III

‘BOB’ the Deadly Shade (N7) 64817 <90000> +5% CRT 1d16/II

Felix Ignatius Hemlock the once skeletal Sleuth (I7) 47017 <80001> +5% CRT 1d16/II

Mason the Lama of Yrrrg. (C7) 57293 <100001> CRT 1d10/III

Charles in Charge the Myrmidon (F6) 55424 <64000> +10% CRT 1d16/IV

Critical Wound: Punctured lung (-2 CON) 

            Mostly DEAD. (-1 CON)

Gurn Hammerhand the Dwarven Swashbuckler (D4) 21514 <36000> +5% CRT 1d12/III

Wendul the Magician (W6) 43262 <80000> 5% CRT 1d8/I

Dolec Da the Hero (F5) 40244 xp +10% <64000> CRT 1d20/IV

            Missing five teeth

Camillus the Myrmidon (F7)  81443 <120001> +5% CRT 1d20/IV

            Injury: -1 STR from brutal arm shatter

            Injury: -5’mv from brutal arm shatter

Willy the Reformed Burglar (T5)  18256<20000>10% CRT 1d14/II

Chung-Li the Myrmidon Warlock (E6) 103411 xp <120000> +10% CRT 1d8/II

Brett & Jermaine Kobold Cooks & Eavesdroppers Extraordinaire 

 

RESERVES

BoB is the lone lawn ornament for the Basilisk Knights.

Boris & Camillus rehab (correction of structural injuries) for 14 days

            Elapsed: 5 days

Chung Li needs 12 weeks and a stack of coin to rewrite his lost spell book.  

            Elapsed: 5 days

Sloth rehab 14 days

            Elapsed: 1 day

Elapsed Campaign Time

585 days at beginning of session (also applies to recuperation) 

Join us for session Two-Hundred-and-Seventeen when we ask the questions:

Can we trust those deep things to let us pass?

How big is this cavern?

How big is this ‘lake’, or is it an underground sea?

Should we be storing the Bimbles bits with the food reserve?

Tale of the Tape

Bimbles torn asunder by a killer croc.

Exploration Below

Location hex: 12.20

KILLS

Giant crabs (4) 

Giant crocodiles (3) 

LOOT

75 gp

Potions of water breathing (5 w/2 doses each)