Missing Sequences: 2023

Friday 29 December 2023

Sticky Fingers (Session 234)

SESSION 234: The Vandals Want the handles but our Pockets are Full

Ambushed while bagging the largest thing they have stolen yet. A poor choice of words leads to sword work before they march off into the sea.

Day 160 Continued Pt. 3 (12.20/0605): Well they got distracted on their way back to base. “Hey why don’t we get that giant pearl before resting? Wouldn’t want some other jerks steal it first”, suggested Rhags. This gained blanket support and they made haste back to the octopus atop a pearl fountain. Ding-We pulled began to pull out his portable hole to store the pearl. As this was happening Bunny investigated the statue as the rest of the mob began to search the rest of the chamber. It took just a few seconds, “These two upturned arms are levers”, Bunny informed the gang. Everyone gathered around as she checked for traps and gave a clean bill of health. “Which one Peg-leg?” “Ahhh, lefty loosey seems suitable for you my dear” “Blurf” She gave the left arm a tug a portion of the wall in the NW slid into the ceiling revealing a chamber. Bunny felt lucky and pulled the second it presented another secret passage, this time in the SE corner.

They checked out the chamber to the NW it was the Map Room: Stone floors devoid of barnacles and stone walls boasts a huge bronze colored flag (black, cracked histrix skull as symbol) and hanging maps. The bottom portions of the flag and the maps are ruined and rotting from seawater exposure. A stout stone table and six chairs covered in sea algae squats in the middle of the chamber. After the Captain rolled up and trousered the maps for reasons only he knows they went to the other secret passage.

Wives Tomb: Two serpentine-carved sarcophagus’s lie on either side of the chamber, both with claw-edged holes of extrication. Both sarcophagus are adorned with shells and embedded with semi-precious stones surrounding a brass plate etched with letters. The ceiling boasts a carving of an immaculate rosebush with two beautiful roses, one over each sarcophagus.

The east sarcophagus is labeled “Luraina” while the west has “Evelyn” etched on the brass plates. Inside of Evelyn’s sarcophagus hid an electrum necklace of a unicorn and narwhal facing each other with entwined ivory horns. The necklace was packed away and the hobos returned to stealing the colossal pearl. Silence once more fell over the work area and Rhags began hammering the octopus off the pearl. He made a mess but succeeded at the task only leaving some mangled pipes seeping water. The lot moved their attention to getting the pearl into the hole.

As Ding-We directed the loading of the colossal pearl into his portable hole a water elemental spouted up from the pipes of the now vandalized ‘octopus upon a pearl’ water feature. The sheet of water was not sociable it was time to battle the angry wave. Battle was waged and the water was flattened. They were now feeling run down. They finished packing away their treasure horde and made their way back to camp.

Returning to base they discovered squatters. Forty bloated corpses that bore shackles and chains around their necks. These were some sort of sea-zombies it seemed. Ding-We tossed a fireball and the clerics used their holy powers to turn those that remained into dust. It did not take long and there was even some loot, more jewelry!, that the fireball had not destroyed. The ruckus had attracted the attention of something. After they cleaned up Rhags grabbed his hammer and a handful of ‘railway’ (???) spikes to seal the two doors into the chamber. He locked down the northern one but came face-to-brainface with a thing when he got to the western door. It was a floating jellyfish that had a suspended brain with cortex and optical bits. “What the Fugh…” he collapsed to the ground twitching after being blasted with a psychic explosion. It floated over top the inert dwarf as its tentacles penetrated his armour to begin feeding. At this point the absence of hamming was noted. Steve, Charles and Dolec charged up to defend their runty chum. “Ahh what the hell is that!?!” came from Stevie just as he and the others were blasted by the things mental powers. Dolec hit the ground in a paroxysm of bodily tremors. The thing as vile and disgusting as it was it was also fragile being a brain and a jellyfish. Steve gave it a fierce stab and Charles used Franz to hew the thing in half. It dropped in a gooey splat all over Rhagnar. They slapped the Dwarf back to awareness, “Wake up dork and get that damned door shut!” Pulling a couple of jugs worth of slime off his face Rhagnar let out a growl of confusion and irritation, “Ya ya ya. Finish the job. What the hell is all over me? And why is there an eyeball in my ear hole!?!”. He finished the job and then had Bimbles hose him down with the decanter before finding a corner to pass out in. After Rhags finally sealed the second portal they retired to the camp nook and settled in. Sitting around the fire they came to the conclusion that they resting an additional day before going deeper was required.

The evening did not pass peacefully. An ooze, black and oily, made it’s way into the inner chamber of relaxation. The thing stunk. Immediately causing Charles and Alamend to start puking up a lung and then it expelled a burning poisonous cloud filling the hobo flop room. It then began to swing around acidic pseudopods. The guards were alert and nimble dodging the oozes erratic extensions. Luck was not on the muck’s side and the gang were able to smoosh it into globs before Bimble’s once more pulled out his magical jug and hosed the goo out the chamber and down the steps after Rhags grudgingly removed his spikes and opened the door. Speaking of the door it looked like the ooze had burned its way through the bottom of the door. “This ain’t gonna hold as great as it used to..”, pointed out the door Dwarf. Afterwards things were peaceful for a good run of hours allowing for some quality recuperation.

Day 161 (12.20/0605): The extra day of rest and preparation. It went by easy peasy until a smashing came upon the northern door. Whatever it was it or they were strong. It was obvious that the door would not hold. Steve and Charles setup in front of the door as the Captain and Dolec attached lines to the spikes for quick removal. One. Two. Three. PULL! The spike went flying as the violently opened presenting a gross of Crab-persons. Both parties stood off for a moment. The crab speaker spoke in a manner one would expect from an evolved crustacean, a series of clicks and clacks emitted from its frothy mouth complexity along with erratic gestures from its more dexterous upper ‘arms’ while it’s pincher arms remained low. Our lunks were rightfully perplexed and were ready to strike. “Wait!” shouted Carla, “They want shiny things and we have that useless pile of silver and copper coins”. She then spoke to the crabs in their language, it included a billowing cloud of froth that worked its way down her green chest. Rhags was enamoured (dirty pervert), “tell them more” he whispered. Carla continued her dialogue blissfully ignorant of the side situation. “They will accept our gift”. Mason ran off to throw the coins into a sack. He returned and presented a sack full of thousands of wiener coins. The crabs were rather happy but still tried for a bit more by asking for big shiny like armour or weapon. The hobos just happened to have the three ancient two-handed swords from the skeletal warriors and presented one.

<<This could be yours in exchange for some information>>. <Agreed, it will shine well>.<<Can you tell us anything about our friend? Goes by the name of Abyzou>>. <Attack! We have been deceived. Red death demon spawn!>. Pinchers were raised and the dialogue came to an abrupt end. “Well I did learn that they don’t seem to be allied with the sea demon… watch out for the pinchers…”, lamented our green (in more ways than one it would seem) high priestess.

Just before the crabs launched at the inferred followers of the dread tide somewhere way way up above from an entity orbiting the planet a sigh could be heard.

The martial members of the clan held the line and after the first crustacean push they slammed back with brutally efficient slashing and piercing blades. They quickly eviscerated the crab frontline breaking their moral. With two-thirds their number dismembered the remaining crab-persons raced back to the waters and away from our evil hobos. And that was that for the day. The crab-corpses were thrown out of the chamber, as even Steve thought eating them was cannibalism adjacent and we ain’t in the same jam as the B-Team whatever they is up to. The door was then resealed and the extended rest continued unperturbed.

Day 162 (12.20/0605): It was finally time. The hobos were ready to make the plunge and it would be done via the flooded chamber east of the mess hall. The hike was smooth and easy. They descended the steps into the chamber until the front line stood before the waters edge. Here goes nothing.

ROLECALL

Carla the Green High Priestess of TMB (C10) 313941 xp +10% <400001> CRT 1d12/III

Scars: permanent loss left index finger and scarring on arm

Bimbles the High Priest of GSS (C9) 276643 xp +5% <300001> CRT 1d12/III

+2 save to poison and internal body things; Double eat (gotta feed my baybay)

Hobo Steve the Lord (F9) 289416 xp +5% <360,001> CRT 1d24/V

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

Rahgnar the Dwarven Superhero (D8) 210405 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

Ding-We the Peg-Legged Sorcerer (W9) 463664 xp +10% <470001> CRT 1d10/I

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

Bunny the Thief! (T9) 257448 xp <280001> +10% CRT 1d20/II

Light wound: permanent loss of pinky finger, off hand

The Henchmen

Saffron the Mad Fairy Queen of Ribbits (FY7) 176755 xp <200001> CRT 1d10/III

Moderate wound: Scar on abdomen

Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed guts

Mason the Lama of Yrrrg. (C7) 60920 <100001> CRT 1d10/III

Charles in Charge the Myrmidon (F6) 59051 <64000> +10% CRT 1d16/IV

Franz the Grave Return (Lawful; XXXX) Sword

Critical Wound: Punctured lung (-2 CON)

Mostly DEAD. (-1 CON)

Dolec Da the Hero (F5) 43871 xp +10% <64000> CRT 1d20/IV

Missing five teeth

Captain Alamend Strender the Swashbuckler (F5) 25020 <32000> +5% CRTXXX

RESERVES

BoB is the lone lawn ornament for the Basilisk Knights.

Brett & Jermaine Kobold Cooks & Eavesdroppers Extraordinaire - Cooking & Cleaning

Chung Li needs 12 weeks (74 days) and a stack of coin to rewrite his lost spell book.

Elapsed: 31 days (from day 600)

Elapsed Campaign Time

602 (624) days at beginning of session (also applies to recuperation)

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

Would the crab-persons have been good allies?

What evil lurks just below us?

Tale of the Tape

Exploration Below the Blighted Sub-Hex

Location hex: 12.20

KILLS

Water Elemental

Weighted Dead (40)

Floating Eye-Brain-Jellyfish

Abyssal Ooze

Crab-persons (8 of 12)

Mist Jaguar

LOOT

Jewelry (4) 900, 1000, 1400, 1100 = 4,400 gp

Electrum necklace of a unicorn and narwhal facing each other with entwined ivory horns 450 gp

Sunday 24 December 2023

Man, beast, or spirit... I don't care if it's Beelzebub himself. I'M GONNA GET THAT LOOT! (Session 233)

SESSION 233: The Deep is Coming to get us and we Hit the Jackpot

Digging into the final recesses of Cassidy’s tomb. Previously missed secrets are discovered.

Day 160 Continued (12.20/0605): They pressed on from the chamber of the sea goddess. Further down the corridor to the west. It came to an end at a sea water damaged door but slightly before that was something of more interest. A rainbow coloured shimmering curtain of light blocks entry to whatever lay beyond. The gang was bold, with Rhagnar’s wellbeing. The dwarf entered and discovered an aquatic wonderland - stepping through the curtain, one finds themselves underwater, but breathing continues as normal. Swirling lights of the spectrum dance through the depths weaving through waving kelp fronds and seaweed. A miniature palace (5’ tall) carved into a reef rock has pearl doors and tiny creatures swimming about it while kelp flutters like banners. A white globe sits on top of the reef rock. He did not really notice that breathing in this environment was not a problem. He reported back and Saffron buzzed passed bursting with excitement to swim/fly like the Queen of Ribbits should. She could be heard cackling with glee inside the chamber. This was good enough for the rest of the mob to follow suit. Looking around, it was the white globe atop the ‘tiny palace’ that caught Ding-We’s eye – “Hey that looks like a crystal ball”.

The brain-trust moved their attention to the globe and deliberations began primarily pertaining to how to steal it. Rhags pointed out that the globe was affixed to the stone outcropping and it was a top notch job. It would take some work to remove the thing. Bimbles cast silence to cover the work as Rhags got his tools out. Within the silence shell Ding-We and Carla backseat Rhags work. They did not immediately notice, Rhags never did, a trio skeletal warriors walking into the chamber and engaging with the rest of the mob.

Turning did not work on these paradigms of bone for some reason. It would take weapon work to get the king’s ransom that these things were packing.

The skeletons zeroed in on the clerics with the unwavering focus of the dead, relentlessly swinging their brutal two-handed swords.

No tactics, just kill the holy.

Eventually the bones were smashed and the gang were swimming in loot, a preposterous amount of gems and jewelry. It was like they had robbed a kingdom or took it all with them when they arose from some long forgotten catacomb. The gang celebrated as Rhags finally finished up with disconnecting the globe. Ding-We was about to bag it when he decided to touch it. The globe was most certainly a crystal ball and the sorcerer observed a magnificent room covered in spectacular shells with a matching white globe. He looked around briefly and then became disinterested and tagged and bagged the globe – “Whatevs”.

Leaving the chamber they now went to the adjacent door. Water damaged and in an advanced state of decomposition. Steve kicked it open revealing a rectangular room that was also being eaten by the sea. A rubble piles sit on a ledge that leads into an eroded chamber filled with water in the northwest portion with the rest of the chamber appearing to simply be a dumping ground for oceanic debris. An exhausted fish flops around in the south corner as the feelers from strange reddish barnacles are crawling slowly towards it. Dolec, a now avowed hater of barnacles, approached and kicked the fish safely back into the water –“Swim Floppy swim!”. The gang then began to check out the chamber. Unknown for a spell yet was that Dolec’s action attracted the attention of something in the water. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ledge Bunny noted an unusual pile of stones and debris “Hey check this out it looks intentional”. It was an intentional distraction. The hobos looked and debated as an abomination arose from the deep.

The Eye from the deep blasted the group with abominable triple eye powers and then moved forward to nasty pinch any along the edge. The hobos were murderous and resilient. The eye was not succeeding in incapacitating its dinner. Instead it had two pillars of flame dropped on it right after being blasted with a freezing cone of frost. Poor little abomination was not long for the world after encountering MurderHobos Incorporated. The fighters grabbed the carcass at Ding-We’s incessant prattling that they could harvest something from the partially smoldering corpse and other part frozen body. Nope they had made a mess of it, Dolec having punctured the big eye and the other two were now melted. It was really just a ripped and seeping gut bag now.

The gang at this time were now a little beaten up and the spell casters were feeling light on capacity. Along with the inner despair of finding no treasure on this eye-thing they decided to return to base.

It was time to plan the plunge into the blood-red abyssal waters.