SESSION 133: Not Quite Ready Yet
Marching through the mush at night. Fortunately the moon was bright and the clouds were few. This made it much easier to see a twisted tree sitting on a mound rising up from the muck like a festering boil. It also seemed like the likely source of a foul stench that was infiltrating our sinuses. Bones and gore. We had discovered the lair of a clan of Cronen-cave-bears. Yup, body horror time. Twisted, mutated, seeping rancid fluids and very murderous. Saff conjured a phantasmal scout group that bought us some time to get positioned and then tenderize the abominations. It was working out pretty good until the leader of the clan showed up. A bloated and pustulant bipedal Cronen-bear-demon. It teleported (unknown to us at this time) to the backend of the party and immediately laid in upon Carla. Once the other bear things were dispatched the main group fell back to assist. The beast teleported again, this time to ravage Bimbles. It took a while but it was finally cut down.
Exploring the mound a lair was discovered under the tree. It was an abattoir. Completely covered in bones and gore – floor, walls and ceiling. There was treasure but it came at a cost when removal/ searching triggered the bones (many jagged and coated with rotting meat) on the ceiling to collapse. Injuries were minor but blood borne pathogens was the insidious aspect. Eventually a horde of treasure, the only legacy of the innumerable numbers of beings that had been consumed by the clan, was stored away and we made the final press for Helix.
We remained in Helix for about a week. Boris spent his time reading a book of martial prowess. Ding-We worked on figuring out and transcribing the artifacts of Pinto the Pyromancer. Carla and Bimbles brought a mountain of low grade treasure to the temple of Ygg for distribution to the needy, a task Nara took great pleasure in assisting with. Additionally, the remains of Sir Pelinore were brought for interment once a mausoleum could be constructed. Further, a pile of medusae victims were dropped off for future de-stoning and community integration. And even further further, Carla inquired about the Paladin Palanthus. The priest of Ygg was well informed regarding the ancient holy warrior and also revealed the possibility that further artifacts did exist at one time. Perhaps more were lost in the Tomb of Tombs?
Returning to Barrowmaze. The trip was uneventful and we now had the medusa mound as a very private entrance. Working our way back to the octagonal chamber a quick search was conducted. Rewarded for the diligence a secret passageway was found. It led to a crypt with a sarcophagus that our recently discovered scarab key could open. This triggered the guardians of the crypt to make themselves known. The walls of the tomb of Rathgar the Ranger were actually flagstone golems. These 12’ constructs hit with the force of a wall. Massive stone walls to be precise. First it was Boris, his shield arm pounded into mush then Saff and finally Bimbles. These things were beating the crap outta us. The hobos however were surrounded. It was a fight to the end, as they often are.
After the grand battle and while focused on the looting of the chamber a group of crypt knights were able to enter, from behind- yikes!, and another fight ensued. After cleaning up our hobos turned around to return to the octagonal chamber. We would have made it too, if it wasn’t for that meddling mega-dungeon explorer! Raul noted another structural inconsistency. Low and behold another false wall. A corridor leading to another lost crypt. It was protected as well but the entity was quickly pulverized. All was good, until we were surprised by another Nergalian strike force led by a barrow ghast. Geordieghast blasted us with a fireball (lucky for all I rolled like crap) while cackling in glee as his ghouls flowed into the chamber behind the blast. We were already roughed up by the golems and knights. The battle, like a few others recently, took some effort and luck to swing into our favour. Wow. That was a hard day. We pinioned the secret doors shut and settled in for a rest cycle. It was good, where do we go next?
ROLECALL
Carla the Green Matriarch of TMB (C8) 112720 xp +10% <200001> CRT 1d12/III
Scars: permanent loss left index finger and scarring on arm
Bimbles the Patriarch of GSS (C8) 155960 xp +5% <200001> CRT 1d12/III
Hobo Steve the Superhero (F8) 152891 xp +5% <240,001> CRT 1d24/V
Brain Damaged: reduced mental capacity (tough night on the town)
Rahgnar the Dwarven Champion (D7) 110728 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) 134987 xp +10% <240000> CRT 1d12/III
Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -4,
Removed one of his own nostrils.
Boris the Dwarven Superhero (D8) 156556 xp +10% <280001> CRT 1d20/IV
Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -3, carved up face
Wound: Bad leg (-5’ MV)
Multiple Injuries: lost 17 teeth
Ding-We the Peg-Legged Sorcerer (W9) 350737 xp +10% <470001> CRT 1d10/I
Critical Wound: Left leg obliterated, runs at ½ rate
Bunny the Thief! (T9) 182523 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 Ribbits (FY6) 128491 xp <130001> CRT 1d10/III
Moderate wound: Scar on abdomen
Sloth the Bopper (L7) 120074 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) 56134 xp +5% <66000> CRT 1d6/I
Biff Bartley the Half-Orc Executioner (HO6) 51900 <60000> +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
Yasser Imaphat the Djinn (D4) 30372 <32501> CRT 1d6/II
RESERVES
Charles in Charge the Myrmidon (F6) 39982 <64000> +10% CRT 1d16/IV
REMAINING RECUPERATION: 25 DAYS
Critical Wound: Punctured lung (-2 CON)
Elapsed Campaign Time
289 days at beginning of session (also applies to recuperation)
Join us for session One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Four when we ask the questions:
Where are the other artifacts of Palanthus?
Gargoyles?
Grizelda?
Run on the boss?
Tale of the Tape
Beatings were handed out by the wall-sized flagstone golems limbs and guts were pulverized (Boris, Saff, Bimbles -1 STR)
KILLS
Demon Bear
Corrupted Cave Bears (5)
Crypt Knights (6)
Greater Crypt Shade
Barrow Ghast
Ghouls (12)
Flagstone Golems (4)
LOOT
Stud leather (H) +2
Longsword +2
700 pp
52 gp
Gems (12): 250,10,1000,100,500,50,50,25,25,50,10,75 = 2145 gp
Jewelry (11): 1400,700,1200,30,60,1000,400,1100,30,600,100 = 6620 gp
8,044 sp
14,120 cp
Green spinal (2) 140 gp each
Blue sapphire 700 gp
Golden yellow topaz (2) 400 gp each
Potions: healing, X-heal, heroism, shout, growth
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