SESSION 158: Sneaking Around the Eyrie of the Dread Eye
Sacks were loaded and the church, for at least a second time, was once more desecrated. Screw the XII and their tentacle-faced preachers, flayed angels and dead congregations. The treasure map looked interesting and seemed to be a missive from on ancient adventurer to another describing a meeting spot not far away, where the City transitions into the psychedelic forest. We passed a little too close to the mold and fungi covered building and Nara was assailed with a telepathic message of yearning – I live and hunger! She did not care for this psychic incursion and pushed the group to double time it. Getting around the strange occurence our hobos followed an alley separating the edge of the City and the outer wall of this hidden place.
A little while later of cautious travel the hobos entered into the transition zone from city to forest and began to look for the large boulder alluded to on the map. It didn’t take long to find. On the back side of the boulder they found a long dead elf, desiccated but largely intact. It appeared to have received a mortal injury that was beyond it’s ability stabilize. The remnants of the Elf's ancient chainmail was slashed open across the chest. One hand held the hilt of a short sword that was no longer with blade. The other hand clutched papers that appeared strangely intact. Beside the corpse was a leather sack, useless but still intact. Steve and Rhags started the looting. It did not take much before the corpse started cracking and breaking into not much more than dust. The sack held gems, the clutched papers were a scroll and a message for his wayward chum that he took too long. The final shaking of the corpse yielded an ornate ivory scroll tube. The scrolls, much to the clerics interest, were of divine nature including a much sought after spell – raise dead.
The hobos were feeling good but somewhat directionless. Ding-We got it in his head that underneath that mold and fungi covered building there would be wonderous riches. “We got to kill that thing, Raul crack open your book (Slimes & Molds) and come up with a plan”. It seems that maybe just maybe Raul had been sniffing some of the local flora to see what Biff and Bimbles found so interesting and this may have interfered with his book work. Raul struck out in the secret lore department. Ding-We ignored this portent and came up with another wacky plan or two. Much to Carla’s chagrin she would be the goat on a rope, “get in there and cure disease these things are just a pile of disease”. They made their way to a broken wall about 100’ from the giant mold mass and then sent Carla in. She moved within spell range and called for the divine power to cure the lump of disease. Well, all it did was cause the thing, Dorvereth, to lash out psionically at Carla. She collapsed frothing at the mouth as her body went into seizure. “And that is why we tie ropes to people”, Ramrod explained to our newer companions as they dragged Carla back. As they began to investigate Carla two groups of slimy zombies (25) zeroed in on the hobos. It looked like they were going to try to push us back towards Dorvereth. “Run away!” Rhagnar threw Carla over his shoulder and our vagrants ran back towards the forest. Ding-We’s plan had been foiled, for the time being. They hid behind the big boulder for a while until Carla regained her wits. This was a good chance to figure out what the magical items that we pulled from the church did. During this time it was also decided that they would finally go look at the pyramid.
Much like every plan our hobos noticed a ruin that was in relatively good condition that they had not investigated and promptly forgot about the pyramid once more. A large single door (9’ height) made of an unknown material with gold filigree. “Unobtainium?”, no it was actually Unknowium. This strange material caused our thieves to let down their defenses. They stepped forward to open the door. Upon touching it spikes exploded from underneath the years of filth hiding the trap. Bunny and Rammer cursed as they jumped back with bloodied feet. After some cursing and bandaging they returned to the doo and opened it. First they were hit with the stench of bile and then greeted by the twisted screams of things that could only be described as aberrations. The chamber was very dimly lit as the domed roof of this chamber had numerous small circular port style windows that let the sickly purple light seep in. The building was circular about 100’ in diameter. In the centre was a 10’ platform that was ringed with a 30’ moat full of acid. How did we know that you may ask. Well there was some weird shit in here. Upon the platform sat/stood/perched a monolith of slime 15’ tall. A pillar of mutation with multiple faces and swinging pseudopods. But this was not the source of the ‘screams’, nope that can from the tower of slime’s "children" that ruptured forth from all over it's body. These children would burst out only to be eaten, smashed, pulverized by its parent a few would get away only to be dissolved in the acidic moat. “Ah…what the shit is this!?!”, an exclamation which came from numerous hobos except Saff she saw it for what it was - a booger pile. The hobos stood outside and deliberated what should be done next. “Perhaps we should stay on target?” “Yes, that is a fine idea to the pyramid” “Too the pyramid!!!” Bunny and Rammer closed the giant door and we pressed on.
The pyramid is a dark golden structure with a top that gleams in the darkness of the cavernous eyrie. They entered. This was another manufactory for Optic creation. The interior of the pyramid is open and ringed with rows and rows of cloning vats, most empty and in disuse but some filled with cloudy liquids and strange forms. Moving about inside was a strange looking Optic named Primus the caretaker of this place, who politely greeted the hobos and easily entered into conversation he was very accommodating and pleasant. Primus’s wore a very large hat atop a body made of luminous rings making for a rather surreal experience. Before having to excuse himself for his duties we did learn a bit more about the nature of things here in the Eyrie but missed the chance to drop any real substantive questions about the Oculus.
Pressing on. Ding-We pointed out that there were now unexplored ruins that way. On our way ‘that way’ we first encountered a group of IK gathered around an Optic corpse conducting some sort of ceremony. Since we knew the little goof-balls had no language we just crept quietly by observing the ritual. The corpse glowed and then a crystal formed above it and then dropped to the ground the IK then collected it and then waddled away. “Hmm, that was odd”.
A couple hundred feet further down the laneway we came to courtyard. Bunny and Rammer, both invisible, crept to the opening to see what they could see. Inside a patrol of Optics had cornered more IK. One of them grabbed an IK and tore it in half. As stuffing and other mundane items fell to the ground the mute creature somehow released a sickening scream. Two of the Optics were astride giant lizards and it was these scaley buggers that picked up the heat signatures of the two thieves. The fight was on, the lizards charged. Steve and Rhags also lunged forward to hold the breach. The spellcasters and archers were able to quickly neutralize the seer but Steve was in trouble the lizard had taken him to the ground attacking madly while the Optic rider struck downwards with its nasty pike. Saff in a moment of usual lunacy polymorphed the lizard into a giant trout. This sparred Steve the assault by the lizard but now he was pinned down by a big slimy fish. Steve not one to let opportunity pass him by saw what he needed to do. This was a whole lot of dinner that he needed to catch, sadly his very marginal intelligence did not realize that a fish out of water won’t swim away. He focused his attention on the trout. The battle raged but the hobos had the Optics both trapped and outnumbered. When the end arrived the IK may have given some sort of salute and bounded away back to do whatever they were doing.
We grabbed a breath as Steve cleaned and gutted the mammoth trout. Inside the courtyard were the entry points to three more ruins. Two of them were exactly that but the third was not. What is behind door number three?
ROLECALL
Carla the Green High Priestess of TMB (C9) 250538 xp +10% <300001> CRT 1d12/III
Scars: permanent loss left index finger and scarring on arm
Bimbles the High Priest of GSS (C8) 214778 xp +5% <300001> CRT 1d12/III
Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed arm
Hobo Steve the Superhero (F8) 212423 xp +5% <240,001> CRT 1d24/V
Brain Damaged: reduced mental capacity (tough night on the town)
Rahgnar the Dwarven Superhero (D8) 177260 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)
Raul the Voyager (MD8) 188805 xp +10% <240000> CRT 1d12/III
Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -4,
Removed one of his own nostrils.
Ding-We the Peg-Legged Sorcerer (W9) 404555 xp +10% <470001> CRT 1d10/I
Critical Wound: Left leg obliterated, runs at ½ rate (peg required)
Bunny the Thief! (T9) 184055 xp <280001> +10% CRT 1d20/II
Light wound: permanent loss of pinky finger, off hand
Ramrod the Cloned Magsman (T8) 118078 xp +5% <160001> CRT 1d20/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) 137081 xp <200001> CRT 1d10/III
Moderate wound: Scar on abdomen
Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed guts
Sloth the Bopper (L7) 135460 xp +10% <178800> CRT 1d20/IV or 1d6/G (vs. s, m)
Mental Illness: Mummy-a-phobic
Nara the Nearly Naked Purple Swami Girl (PS7) 72067 xp +5% <125000> CRT 1d16/II
Wraith Drained: -1 CON
Biff Bartley the Half-Orc Blackguard (HO7) 84562 <120000> +5% CRT 1d12/II
Lasting injury: Crushed spinal column -6”H, -5’mv, -10% thieving
Sasha Plasha the Warden (R7) 88462 xp +10% <100000> CRT 1d10/III
Dolec Da the Hero (F5) 21490 xp +10% <32000> CRT 1d16/IV
Camillus the Myrmidon (F6) 59015 <65001> +5% CRT 1d16/IV
Greymin the Dwarven Hero (D5) 21691 <35000> +5% CRT 1D14/III
‘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
Gurn Hammerhand the Dwarven Swordsman (D3)
Wendul the Thaumaturgist (W5)
RESERVES
Charles in Charge the Myrmidon (F6) 45913 <64000> +10% CRT 1d16/IV
REMAINING RECUPERATION: 0 DAYS
Critical Wound: Punctured lung (-2 CON)
Mostly DEAD. (-1 CON) -ADJUSTMENT REQ’D
Boris the Dwarven Lord (D9) 319718 xp +10% <400001> CRT 1d20/IV
REMAINING RECUPERATION: 3 DAYS
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
Serious Injury: Brain Drain -2 INT
Elapsed Campaign Time
340 days at beginning of session (also applies to recuperation)
Join us for session One-Hundred-and-Fifty-Nine when we ask the questions:
What will ruin #16 hold in store?
Will we return to the ruin housing the slime column thing?
How much longer will we dodge losing a hobo in this nightmare city?
What is Dorvereth and will we try to kill it again?
Are we going to try to end the evil blight of the Oculus?
Tale of the Tape
Ramrod was headbutted by a hydra, losing two more teeth and improving his lisp
KILLS
Fungal Zombies in service of Dorvereth (25) – Bravely ran away
Oculus corrupted hydra (8H) 600
Optic foot soldiers (6) 840
Giant tuatara lizards (2) 640
Optic sergeant 600
Optic seer 65
LOOT
6000 sp
1000 gp
Treasure Map VII (Value in gp: 4,130)
- 3 × gems (10gp)
- 2 × gems (50gp)
- 5 × gems (100gp)
- 5 × gems (500gp)
- gem (1,000gp)
- Potion of Levitation
- Spell scroll ( hold person, dispel evil protection from evil (c))
- Spell scroll (purify food and water, detect evil, hold person, raise dead (finger of death), create water)
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