Oozed (Session 281)

SESSION 281: Siege on the Gangrenous Pt. 28 – Siege on Aman Marath III: Cornered? 

Now serving: Less talk and more murder.

 

Day 254 Continued (Aman Marath): Boris directed the team to prepare an ambush. As soon as the “talkers” neared the door it would be murder-o-clock. Out jumped our longswords. Surprising a pair of ape-like men, or maybe man-like apes, covered in white fur. They were surprised when blades pierced deep into their bodies. They got off a couple of wild defensive swings but our hobos were like a plague of locus and consumed everything in their path. A bunch more gems were found before these corpses were tossed in with the pirate bits in the storage room. Our little corner of the stronghold was beginning to look like an abattoir. Versamage came up with a plan, “You little people wet some rage from the guard chamber and clean up this residue” pointing at those that did not battle the apes. She ain’t the nicest warrior but she ain’t actually dumb either. 

After cleaning up the group pressed on to the north along the interior corridor. Making it to the NE corner without much fanfare another group of pirates were dispatched. The salty bunch were guards, protecting the adjoining chamber that lay between us and the spider room. Hidden behind a tapestry was the entrance to the connecting tower. Inside it was dusty and forgotten. So forgotten that there was a nice pouch of gems just sitting and waiting beyond the door, only protected by a thick layer of dust. The stairs up did not look interesting so down it was. 

The bottom of the tower appeared to once be an armory. Shields lined the walls and there was also a number of barrels holding the decaying remains of spears. The back wall had a moistness to it and that strangely attracted Ramrod. Probably because he is strange. 

As the thief searched for goodies he moved close to the moist wall. The moist stuff fell on him. It was actually some kind of ooze and was ready and willing to digest Rammer. Almost instantly all of Ramrod’s mundane equipment was consumed by the super digestive acids of the ooze. Raul screamed, “ that is a grey ooze! It is going to turn Rammer into juice any moment now!”. The rest of the gang took extra-large steps back so as not to join the thief in his melted fate. Rammer did not like this one bit. He was able to grab his gaseous form potion before it fell to the ground from his now no longer existing bandolier. He could feel his skin beginning to burn as he quaffed the potion – POOT! 

Ramrod was once again a fart and escaped the deadly embrace of the ooze. The rest of the troupe made a hasty rush back up the stairs they really didn’t like the whole scene going down. We would soon learn that Rammer was now a naked and hairless tomato…Yick.

 

 

The B-Team: Boris, Ramrod, Raul, Sloth, Willy, Sasha, Wendul, Gurn, Katre, Herbert, Camillus, Lady Versamage & Skull-Crusher

 

ROLECALL 

Raul the Voyager (MD9) 267070 xp +10% <360000> CRT 1d12/III

            Fezzi-Gig (Neut: XXXX) Sword

Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -4, 

Removed one of his own nostrils.

Boris the Dwarven Lord (D9) 368995 xp +10% <400001> CRT 1d20/IV

Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -3, carved up face

            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)                         

Ramrod the Cloned Magsman (T9) 176176 xp +5% <280001> 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

Sloth the Bopper (L8) 179451 xp +10% <XXXXXX> CRT 1d20/IV or 1d6/G (vs. s, m)

            Missing ten teeth

Sasha Plasha the Warden (R7) 125280 xp +10% <200000> CRT 1d10/III

Gurn Hammerhand the Dwarven Swashbuckler (D5) 29968 <36000> +5% CRT 1d12/III

Wendul the Magician (W6) 51716 <80000> 5% CRT 1d8/I

Camillus the Myrmidon (F6)  54987 <64001> +5% CRT 1d20/IV

Willy the Reformed Burglar (T6)  30104 <40000>10% CRT 1d14/II

            Agolloch the Eye of Purity (Lawful; XXXX) Sword

Katre Elf-Girl and Swordsman Conjuror (E3) 10157 xp <16000> +0% CRT 1d8/II

Lady Versamage Knight Errant (K6) 60000 xp <85000> +5% CRT 1d16/IV

Herbert the Gnomish Trickster (G3) 10500 xp <12000> +5% CRT XXXX

Skull-Crusher (A3) xxxx xp <XXX> +5% CRT XXXX

 

RESERVES

Elapsed Campaign Time

(697 b) days at beginning of session 

675a (from Session 264) (also applies to recuperation) 

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

How much longer can we muddle about before setting off the general alarm?

Do we really want to be slinking about a naked Ramrod whom has a proclivity towards being invisible?

And really, how did Rammer salvage so much gear? Like really?

Tale of the Tape

Ramrod narrowly escaped becoming an ooze

KILLS

White Apes (2) 

Lackeys of Dagon (3) 

Pirates (8) 

Grey Ooze à ran away

LOOT

Assorted gems (8): 100,10,50,500,1025,25,25 = 745 gp

More Assorted gems (30) @5 gp = 150 gp

Even More Assorted Gems (20) @ 50gp = 1000 gp

A Hole in the Wall (Session 280)

SESSION 280: Siege on the Gangrenous Pt. 27 – Siege on Aman Marath II: Getting Inside 

After some dithering about the mob gets into the lighthouse, what do they find?

                     ~~_insert image_~~

                        DENIED

                        "/:boring_shit_wasting_time_not_murdering_enough."

                        ~~no image earned, see above..~~~~~~> 

Day 253 Continued (Aman Marath): They cautiously made their way as far from the beach as possible, bad things arise from the brine. Now being up against northern curtain wall they decided that there must a hidden entrance to one of the towers bookending the wall. There was not. There was a secret door, nearly missed due impatience, dead centre in the wall. It showed sign of usage even with the sea doing its best to erase evidence. They marked the spot and decided to move around the stronghold to the eastside. Perhaps because Sloth and Skullcrusher were being attacked by a giant sea lion, tough to say. 

After dealing with the overly territorial marine mammal they spotted a crumbled arrow slot on the wall above. The opening was more than large enough to get Sloth through once the sizable amount of spider webbing was addressed. Raul thought that simply burning their way in was a tactic worth repeating (they dropped a torch into one of the stepstone towers prior to Marath). They did not really consider, well not at all, if they could likely set the interior of the stronghold aflame as well. They did burn some ancient furniture along with most of the webbing and the two large spiders that created it all. Luckily, after many years of being somewhat exposed to the salt and moisture the wood inside was not going to create an inferno. They climbed into a large L-shaped chamber that had been boarded shut. Ramrod used his expert ear to determine that he could hear muffled conversation beyond. He could not tell much beyond the chamber beyond had occupants but they were not milling around the sealed portal. I guess it was easier to close the chamber than address the spiders. Searching further they discovered a two more doors (one of which lead to the SE tower) an ancient shield of some quality and most importantly three urns loaded with assorted small gems. Boris declared this a good day and declared they would rest here before punching further into the stronghold.

 

Day 254 (Aman Marath): They investigated the tower two stairwells of questionable condition (as per Gurn and Boris). One ascending the other going the other way. Boris redirected the gang to the other door in the chamber. It lead to the main interior corridor of the stronghold heading this way and that. The door was had a message boldly painted on the corridor side -Spiders! Keep Out. It was easily read as there was a buring lantern hanging from the corner to the NE. Ramrod took a quaff of invisibility juice and checked things out. The corridor was a square ring-road around the central lighthouse tower. Doors could be seen along the outer perimeter but none into the lighthouse. This irritated Raul for some reason. They decided to explore away from this corner and into the darkness to the west. 

A couple of long ignored chambers were explored the signs of slow decay were obvious. Within the SW tower, which housed the stirges above, there was an intact stairwell that lead down to the ground floor. Raul wanted to continue about the current level, still certain an entrance to the lighthouse would be found. They came to a well-rotted door that opened to a cluttered chamber filled with furniture and thick with dust. The furniture appeared to have been haphazardly tossed within. Beyond they found the backside of the two great doors of the grand entry. 

Wandering out of the chamber they ran afoul of four surly, likely drunken, pirates. They made quick work of chopping them up and then tossing the corpses back into the furniture room. Falling back to the previous (guard)chamber to consider their next action. Raul and Boris had their deliberations interrupted when Ramrod pointed out he could hear muffled deep conversation from beyond the stone door, “Don’t know what they is sayin’ but daze iz comin’ down from za spiders corridor”. Time was short. Whomever was wandering would soon turn the corner and notice the spray of fresh pirate viscera just beyond the door which our gang huddled. 

 

 

The B-Team: Boris, Ramrod, Raul, Sloth, Willy, Sasha, Wendul, Gurn, Katre, Herbert, Camillus, Lady Versamage & Skull-Crusher

 

ROLECALL 

Raul the Voyager (MD9) 267070 xp +10% <360000> CRT 1d12/III

            Fezzi-Gig (Neut: XXXX) Sword

Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -4, 

Removed one of his own nostrils.

Boris the Dwarven Lord (D9) 368995 xp +10% <400001> CRT 1d20/IV

Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -3, carved up face

            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)                         

Ramrod the Cloned Magsman (T9) 176176 xp +5% <280001> 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

Sloth the Bopper (L8) 179451 xp +10% <XXXXXX> CRT 1d20/IV or 1d6/G (vs. s, m)

            Missing ten teeth

Sasha Plasha the Warden (R7) 125280 xp +10% <200000> CRT 1d10/III

Gurn Hammerhand the Dwarven Swashbuckler (D5) 29968 <36000> +5% CRT 1d12/III

Wendul the Magician (W6) 51716 <80000> 5% CRT 1d8/I

Camillus the Myrmidon (F6)  54987 <64001> +5% CRT 1d20/IV

Willy the Reformed Burglar (T6)  30104 <40000>10% CRT 1d14/II

            Agolloch the Eye of Purity (Lawful; XXXX) Sword

Katre Elf-Girl and Swordsman Conjuror (E3) 10157 xp <16000> +0% CRT 1d8/II

Lady Versamage Knight Errant (K6) 60000 xp <85000> +5% CRT 1d16/IV

Herbert the Gnomish Trickster (G3) 10500 xp <12000> +5% CRT XXXX

Skull-Crusher (A3) xxxx xp <XXX> +5% CRT XXXX

 

RESERVES

Elapsed Campaign Time

(696 b) days at beginning of session 

675a (from Session 264) (also applies to recuperation) 

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

What was that, did you hear it?

Now that they are inside, what is the primary target?

How long can we muddle about before setting off the general alarm?

Tale of the Tape

Nothing worth noting…

KILLS

Giant Sea Lion 

Man-Sized Spiders (2) 

Pirates (4) 

LOOT

Assorted Small Gems (164) 10 gp each =2140 gp

Ancient Shield of Caer Seala +1

Working for a Golden Ticket (Session 279)

SESSION 279: Siege on the Gangrenous Pt. 26 – Siege on Aman Marath 

Let the mission commence the mob makes a play on the Lighthouse, not without requisite hiccups.

 

Day 251 Continued (SeimishàAman Kharis): Raul recalls the team. He has some preparatory thoughts requiring some more time in the fishing village. After some flim-flam they decide to run a preliminary reconnaissance mission after the witching hour.

Armed with a wheelbarrow carrying a newly crafted mobile wall of arrow protection along with grassy ghille nets they slunk under the eye of the new moon through the sandy grasslands to the footing of the great stone bridge running through the Steppingstones to Aman Marath. 

Salt hung heavy in the air as waves constantly battled the shoreline. Two statues of tall sailors flanked the great stone bridge each stood upon five foot high dais of green sea stone. Sasha got right down to surveying that to come. Ramrod wasn’t interested in Boris and Raul’s chimp squawk and decided to check out the statues. He found a secret compartment on one containing a well-sealed scroll tube, “Hey nerd. Catch!”. It was not elegant but Raul was able to, at least, intercept the flight path to the sea. Inside was a scroll with multiple spells of the illuminating sort, Raul handed then off down the line of back-up spellcasters eventually reaching the oft forgotten elf-girl Katre. 

They moved onto the first arching bridge. It was twenty feet wide and glistened with salt and spray. Moss and small patches of mold covered the dark green deep sea stone in places. Salt caked the crevices leaving odd lumps and shapes as the wind buffeted all. Fortunately there was a pony wall and the gang walked with intention. The span to the tower on Anan Kharis was around two-hundred-and-fifty feet. The dwarves were most impressed with the engineering and whistled as they looked across the network to the lighthouse.

The tower was about forty feet square, and surprisingly intact, with an off-centre trapdoor in an advanced state of decomposition. Boris smashed it good. Looking in he saw a twisted metal stairway that once made it easy to reach the sandy floor twenty feet below. “I smell loot!”, he hollered while pulling out his rope to get down there. “I smell fartssss”, came from Rammer. “Sorry Mr. Drooly..”, came from Sloth. “Who taughts him that?”, came from Ramrod as he wiped his more than sea-foamed face. Chuckles and snorts was his response. 

Right around now Boris hit the sand solidly, to solidly. A man-sized (massive) crab was hidden underfoot and jumped to action. 

There was crab smashing and then more crab smashing as the ruckus attracted a couple more and then the following dicking about caught the attention of giant six-legged freezing cold lizard-thing. The salamander put up a serious fight even after being detained in a web and covered in burning oil. The payoff was weak, a small ruby and a bottle of wine. They grabbed some crab chunks, the reason for all the mayhem, and called it a night. They returned to their squat in the fishing village. 

Time for some wound licking.

 

Day 252 (Seimish): Recovering from the sloppy recon mission.

Day 253 (SeimishàAman Marath): Rested and largely healed the team set out early for their next run. Getting to the second tower (Aman Rikath) they found it to be rather ‘webby’. Raul dropped some oil and a torch down the trap door. This incinerated the arachnid occupants. This time they just pressed on. 

The third tower stood upon Anan Sybaris. This the penultimate outpost showed signs of recent restoration. The bad guys had been here. Inside the tower there were cots and a fire pit. Nothing to steal though. They moved to the final bridge. The Stepstones are left behind as the bridge arcs fifty feet above the roiling waters as the lighthouse looms before us. A grand keep with four towers houses the massive green stone tower rising one-hundred-and-fifty feet. 

The bridge ended and they stood on the raised landing before the grand entry. A set of ten foot wide steps lead to the covered entry flanked by a further fanning of the landing. At the base two more sailor statues stood. This pair bearing really creepy smiles.The nattering commenced as plans and ideas were shot left, right and centre. Willy was the first to act and crawled the railing on the stairs to get a look at the doors. Raul and Gurn were concerned that these stony sailors could be more than they seem so they tied there legs. This revealed some doggerel scratchings on the northern one. No one knew the language but Raul’s special glasses allowed him to decipher it:

            Praise Dagon in all his glory,

            Each day at moonrise, a cup of seawater must be imbibed.

            Kill not your fellows, lest you be killed.

 

They did not know what to think of this but Raul made a mental note to get some seawater. He also caught sight of a ladder just peaking up over the pony wall that lead down to the island below. During this time Ramrod decided that the best way in was via one of the towers. That one in particular. He was determined and the ladder be damned. With the help of spider climby magics the thief and Raul scaled the tower.

 

It had largely collapsed into itself and now housed a nest of stirges that they had now riled. It was a bit of a bloody mess as the things turned the two quickly retreating climbers into pincushions. They were both drained for a good pint-and-a-half before they could reach assistance. The creepy bloodsuckers were quickly dealt with once they did. “Hmmm I meant that one ya jerk. Quit rushing me”, gurgled Ramrod pointing at the other front-facing tower. Climbing once again they found another damaged interior, this one just a mess of impassable stone. Returning to the landing Ramrod scolded Raul for not pointing out the ladder earlier. This garnered some chuckles as Raul took to standard procedures and just ignored the snarly thief. They made their way to the northern wave and wind slammed beach. Sasha looked for tracks but couldn’t determine anything with certainty.

Moving around the curtain wall the ranger tried, and failed again, to identify signs of passage. This dithering caught many eyes. Somewhere in the surf there had been a veritable horde of fish-like-man-things. 

 

They were deep ones and maybe, just maybe they mistook us for somebody else. Crawling up out of the surf and up the beach there were at least seventy of the creeps. This caused some big concern. Raul stepped forward with his arms raised reciting portions of the etchings found on the creepy sailor statue while presenting handfuls of gems. They responded in their gross bubbling speech. Nobody had any idea what was being said so Raul just repeated himself. The creatures, perhaps a little confused but now with gemstone glitter in their eyes, accepted the offering. 

“Blorp-blah-smurg-blorf. Dagon-mish-hurp-slurm-glug”, was their final statement before falling back into the sea. 

“Whew!”, Raul turned around and returned to the group “let’s go thaata way”.

 

 

The B-Team: Boris, Ramrod, Raul, Sloth, Willy, Sasha, Wendul, Gurn, Katre, Herbert, Camillus, Lady Versamage & Skull-Crusher

 

ROLECALL 

Raul the Voyager (MD9) 267070 xp +10% <360000> CRT 1d12/III

            Fezzi-Gig (Neut: XXXX) Sword

Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -4, 

Removed one of his own nostrils.

Boris the Dwarven Lord (D9) 368995 xp +10% <400001> CRT 1d20/IV

Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -3, carved up face

            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)                         

Ramrod the Cloned Magsman (T9) 176176 xp +5% <280001> 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

Sloth the Bopper (L8) 179451 xp +10% <XXXXXX> CRT 1d20/IV or 1d6/G (vs. s, m)

            Missing ten teeth

Sasha Plasha the Warden (R7) 125280 xp +10% <200000> CRT 1d10/III

Gurn Hammerhand the Dwarven Swashbuckler (D5) 29968 <36000> +5% CRT 1d12/III

Wendul the Magician (W6) 51716 <80000> 5% CRT 1d8/I

Camillus the Myrmidon (F6)  54987 <64001> +5% CRT 1d20/IV

Willy the Reformed Burglar (T6)  30104 <40000>10% CRT 1d14/II

            Agolloch the Eye of Purity (Lawful; XXXX) Sword

Katre Elf-Girl and Swordsman Conjuror (E3) 10157 xp <16000> +0% CRT 1d8/II

Lady Versamage Knight Errant (K6) 60000 xp <85000> +5% CRT 1d16/IV

Herbert the Gnomish Trickster (G3) 10500 xp <12000> +5% CRT XXXX

Skull-Crusher (A3) 4500 xp <6000> +5% CRT XXXX

RESERVES

none

Elapsed Campaign Time

(694 b) days at beginning of session 

675a (from Session 264) (also applies to recuperation) 

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

What is going on here?

Who or what are these Dagon guys?

Why are there deep ones milling about?

How will we actually get into the stronghold?

Did I mention Men of Leng?

Tale of the Tape

Death awaits around the next corner, of that I’m certain.

KILLS

Massive crabs (3) one escaped 

Frost Salamander 

Giant Spiders (5) 

Stirges (10) 

Deep Ones (70) negotiated non-vioence along with 1000 gp of shiny gems

LOOT

Ruby 100 gp

Bottle of wine – now in Boris’s belly