Wednesday 12 April 2023

The Sightless Serpent Arises (Session 181)

SESSION 181: The Charnel Sepulchre III (May 2022)          

Day 19 (14.22/ 08005): The Crypt 

Go! The fight was on. Murderhobos versus evil statue and a bunch of Omega Ghouls (extra arm and leg; necromantic fiddling). The statue thing of evil swung its colossal halberd through the front line – ouch. Omega ghouls were infilling around things looked like they could go sideways very quickly. It was not the time to taper resource expenditures. Ding-We unleashed a freezing cone followed by engulfing a large part of the chamber in flames. This took care of the ghouls but the statue kept on swinging. Rahgnar was pulverized as a blow crushed his chest leaving him incapacitated on the ground, which was a fairly safe place as long as the statue of evil did not stomp him. The rest of the hobos converged on it as Bimbles dragged Rahgs to safety. With the ghouls now only smoldering piles of ash it didn’t take long to bring down the big chunk of stone. They had survived but this endeavour would go without pay as all items in the fake burial chamber had been frozen and then incinerated. After getting Rahgs back on his feet and patching up Charles whom had also taken a serious beating the hobos returned to the entry chamber to consider how to manage the sleeping serpent.

            Ding-We once more read the creature's mind and once more it slumbered and dreamed of devouring giant Irish elk. How Irish elk got here is anyone’s guess. It had not been more than a couple of hours since their last rest cycle but they were also bandaged and somewhat depleted. It was decided to leave the serpent for now and continue hex clearing. Let’s come back tomorrow.

Day 19 continued: clear (14.22/ 08006, 07005, 06005, 05004) Venturing once more into the wilds. It was a good plan. Sub-hexes were investigated for monster sign and nothing was found. The evenings rest reflected the growing absence of creatures around Carla-ville.

Day 20: clear (14.22/ 05004, 05005, 05006, 06006, 08005) The return to the dungeon took a circuitous path allowing for the investigation of a couple more sub-hexes – all was mellow. Once more in the entry chamber of the sepulchre standing before the mound of the Sightless Serpent. Bimbles prepared to communicate with the beast and then it was awoken. Ding-We had been convinced that 'serpent' only meant snake. What climbed out was an eyeless albino basilisk of immense size. It roared in anger and from each of its hollow eye sockets a gem formed and fell to the ground. 

Bimbles parlayed with the help of his divine powers. “We have slain Ivgah the necromancer. Your keeper is no more”. “Bring him to me!” and with that Biff and Rahgnar made haste to retrieve the corpse. The beast paced like a tiger in cage awaiting confirmation spewing rage but not attacking. They returned and dropped the body of Ivgah before the creature. The serpent approached and then tasted the body with its tongue before opening its maw and consuming Ivgah in a matter of three short gulps. “Free! Curse you for shackling me”. “We freed you mighty serpent you owe us”, snarked Bimbles. Bristling with near insatiable hunger it turned towards Bimbles and croaked “one thing”. The hobos were somewhat taken aback and as a result were out of focus. Bimbles, Raul and Ding-We conferred. “Reverse the petrification of our friends”. “Ha ha, yess stone is food. I will turn them to flesh in my belly. Your foolish request now makes you food!” and with that the hobos burned their only chance to part in peace (reaction rolls and silly asks can lead to trouble). The serpent launched into the front line. Even though it had no eyes it was a basilisk and Rahgnar and Charles figures the trick the hard way. Coming in contact with the creature was the vector, of petrification, and now we had two more stoners. Ranged attacks, magic and mundane, from all angles in hopes of finishing off the beast. It was the handy dandy wand of polymorph (into the fan favourite giant chicken) allowed sharp pointy things to finish up the battle. Ding-We was beginning to feel the weight of solving the petrification problem, “Basilisk hills…screw me”. He then pulled out his potable hole to load in the latest hobo statues along with globs of tastes like chicken meat. By the time they got things cleaned up it was early afternoon and the elected to call it a day the sepulchre had been cleared let’s call it a short day.

Day 21: clear (14.22/08005, 07005,07006,07007, 06007) The gang was ready to go early in the morning eager to finish up clearing the immediate lands of Carla-ville and return to Liwil. The exploration moved from the shaded old woods of the eastern sub-hexes into the grass dominated rolling hills with its scattered groves of trees. The good visibility helped the hobos eradicate a pair of basilisks before they could stone more goobers. It turned out that the reptiles were on a scent trail that out hobos were walking straight towards the source. A ¼ mile later a mutilated elk carcass was found. Dead a couple of days, big chunks missing and a number of barbed black spikes embedded in its head – manticore! They knew there was at least one more in this area and they were closing in. Another mile to the south the hills became much more rough and rocky, this would be a good place for a lair. It was.

The manticore was within a shallow cave set into the southern slope of a hill. The beast, named Imphasfur, was happily brooding in its lair upon a pile of gold coins, until the hobos came along and began climbing the steep and loose slope to the lair mouth. Imphasfur leapt from his cave and took wing raining down spikes. It became a missile battle but Imphasfur could not get enough space from the hobos to limit his punishment. It was too late when the creature realized that it was too close to our band of hunters. Imphasfur’s hoard was a shiny relic of the previous inhabitant of the cave, a hill giant whose bones are now scattered amongst the coins. The gang collected their pay, bandaged wounds and serviced equipment before pressing on. 

  

Team Gormandia (TG): Steve, Carla, Boris, Nara, Dolec, Gurn, Mason, Felix, Wendul, Willy and Sasha along with Brett & Germaine

Team Denethix (TD): Ding-We, Saffron, Rahgnar, Raul, Bunny, Ramrod, Bimbles, Sloth, Biff, Bob, Charles and Camillus -IN PLAY

ROLECALL

Carla the Green High Priestess of TMB (C9) 263154 xp +10% <300001> CRT 1d12/III

            Scars: permanent loss left index finger and scarring on arm

Bimbles the High Priest of GSS (C9) 232586 xp +5% <300001> CRT 1d12/III

            Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed arm

Hobo Steve the Superhero (F8) 225737 xp +5% <240,001> 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)

Rahgnar the Dwarven Superhero (D8) 194659 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) 206613 xp +10% <240000> CRT 1d12/III

            Serious wound: permanent loss of CHA -4, 

Removed one of his own nostrils.

Boris the Dwarven Lord (D9) 326721 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                            

Ding-We the Peg-Legged Sorcerer (W9) 421256 xp +10% <470001> CRT 1d10/I

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

Bunny the Thief! (T9) 201863 xp <280001> +10% CRT 1d20/II

            Light wound: permanent loss of pinky finger, off hand

Ramrod the Cloned Magsman (T8) 135477 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) 145428 xp <200001> CRT 1d10/III

            Moderate wound: Scar on abdomen

            Lasting injury: -1 STR, mashed guts

Sloth the Bopper (L7) 142397 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) 78928 xp +5% <125000> CRT 1d16/II

Wraith Drained: -1 CON

Biff Bartley the Half-Orc Blackguard (HO7) 93463 <120000> +5% CRT 1d12/II

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

Sasha Plasha the Warden (R7) 95323 xp +10% <100000> CRT 1d10/III

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

Felix Ignatius Hemlock the once skeletal Sleuth (I7) 45710 <80001> +5% CRT 1d16/II

Mason the Canon of Yrrrg. (C6) 43159 <50001> CRT 1d10/III

Charles in Charge the Myrmidon (F6) 51250 <64000> +10% CRT 1d16/IV

Critical Wound: Punctured lung (-2 CON) 

            Mostly DEAD. (-1 CON)

Gurn Hammerhand the Dwarven Swordsman (D4) 9948 <17000> +5% CRT 1d12/III

Wendul the Thaumaturgist (W5) 38297 <40000> 5% CRT 1d8/I

Dolec Da the Hero (F5) 27797 xp +10% <32000> CRT 1d16/IV

            Missing five teeth

Camillus the Myrmidon (F7)  70711 <120001> +5% CRT 1d20/IV

Willy the Reformed Burglar (T5)  11302<20000>10% CRT 1d14/II

 

RESERVES

Yasser Imaphat the Djinn (D4) 30372 <32501> CRT 1d6/II – He didn’t want to come out of his lamp.

Greymin the Dwarven Hero (D5) 26295 <35000> +5% CRT 1D14/III – Gone Mining (Liwil)

            

Elapsed Campaign Time

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

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

It looks like only one more day to clear the hex, what is the next step?

Will that chubby little satyr help with the ongoing rocky problem?

Tale of the Tape

Camillus and Bob are still stoned AND NOW Rhags and Charles are stiff as well.

Exploration

1)    Location hex 14.22 Hex clearing dungeon (08005)à08006à07005->06005à05004 (camp)à05005à05006à06006à08005 (dungeon)

KILLS

Stone Golem 

Omega Ghouls (9) 

Imastiphur the Manticore 

Sightless Serpent 

Basilisks (2) 

LOOT

4000 sp

5000 gp

Sapphires (11) 100 gp each

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