Heresy for Gold (Session 282)

SESSION 282: Siege on the Gangrenous Pt. 29 – Siege on Aman Marath IV: Going Deeper 

Plunging deeper into the stronghold we find real bad guys.

 

Day 254 Continued Continued (Aman Marath): Standing above the ooze Raul used his magics to scan the base of the tower for magicks. Nope. Natch. Nothing. Screw this. They returned to the pirate chamber. The corpses were tossed into the tower for the grey ooze to clean things up and possibly present a strange narrative that ‘the ooze did it’. It was decided that they would return to the SE tower and descend to the ground floor. 

The trip was smooth and easy. 

Descending the tower. Reaching the ground floor there was a door and another stairwell cut into the living rock of Aman Marath. Raul declared “Nope”. They took the door. It lead to an L-shaped antechamber with a plush purple rug and religious robes, slippers lining the walls with a door on the far side. They decided to robe up. Entering the next chamber found them in a chapel of Dagon. The long hall contained a dozen pews with six black marble fountains flanking a dais bearing a green altar with a Dagonish bas-relief behind. A little off to the side of all this were a trio of bedrolls and some general clutter. Moving around this area were three fishy looking clerics of Dagon. They were confused by our robed presence. “Why are you here now? You are far too early. Are you new recruits? No, you are converts aren’t you…Praise be to Dagon!”. Given so much time Versamage, Camillus and Boris were now nearly toe-to-toe with the cultists. “Nope” – Chop! The dwarf sundered the first and our ladies followed with their deadly blows. The cultists did not stand a chance. Once their bodies were stuffed under the pews the hobos rolled out of the shrine into the main corridor. Keeping themselves to the darkened portion (western) of the ring road. 

 

Ah Ha!

 

Along the outer wall were some swollen wet doors but.. much to Raul’s pleasure we find a pair of large bronze doors that would gain ingress to the lighthouse. “There!”, exclaimed the MD-Explorer. “Gonna take a bit. That lock looks purdy good”. “Yup”, came from our thief duo.

Rammer got down to work probing the lock with his fingers, “Hmm this ain’t going the way I wants… Say buddy could ya help a brother out?”. “Why certainly, brother”, Willy reached into his pouch a retrieved his tools. This really helped the process and we quickly heard the telltale clicks of a lock retreating. The doors opened and all were bathed in an intense light.

Inside. The central column of the lighthouse was odd. Basically hollow with a winding exterior stairwell ascending to the house atop. It was hollow for a reason. About 60’ up and just floating there was a fiery orb. A mini sun perhaps. The light thereof greatly magnified by tile lined walls. This orb was the likely mechanism of illumination that was sitting midshaft presumptively for the decades of non-lighthouseyness.  Way up above and shrouded in a cloud of smoke or dark mist was the lantern room in the top tower. Raul for all his previous burning desire to get in here suggested that the ring corridor should be further explored first, “Oh. Maybe we should clear the outlying areas first..”.

They backed out and relocked the doors and continued north and then east passing a very wet door in the process. When they turned the corner they could see light beginning about 50’ done the passage. They crept along letting the thieves take point. There was a wide passage and just inside were a trio of pirates guarding the wall at the end. Willy reported back while the invisible Ramrod watched the low quality guards. The wall was obviously contained the secret door to the beach. The thieves would sneak in and spearhead a quick triple assassination. They all knew there were more pirates to be found at the extent of the corridor. The drunks were efficiently removed from the board. A small handful of gems were collected and then it was decided to return to the SW tower and check out the descending stairwell.

The slink was uneventful. The stairwell was well preserved/ maintained and lead to an antechamber. A large room cut from the living rock with two ornate doors, one stone the other wood. Lining the two long walls were skeletons clad in chainmail and holding longswords. The hobos were still wearing the liberated sacred vestments, now a little bloody of course. Perhaps this was why the skeletons did nothing or perhaps they were just grim statues. Time would tell. 

The thieves checked out the doors. Each displayed blasphemous Dagonite imagery. The stone door was locked. This perturbed Ramrod so he began working on it. This action rallied the bone guardians. A dozen skeletons raised their blades and stepped forward. Skull-Crusher attempted to turn them, “Gah! By Crom they are animated not undead! My protective powers do nothing!”. One of them smashed Gurn's leg with the flat of the blade and broke his femur, he let out a holler and collapsed to the ground. Automatons are always a challenge. They just don’t care and fight devoid of any emotion. The stolen robes as a whole were now in tatters and soaking up a heck of a lot of hobojuice. The fight ended without mortality and required a hefty dip into the reserve of healing magics. Press on!

Ramrod finished picking the lock and they pressed into the next chamber. It was another shrine to Dagon. This chamber was split into two sections. A lower prayer area lit by braziers. The floor had dozens of prayer mats flanked large tubs holding boiling seawater that filled the area with a salty musk. Across the chamber was the upper level that housed a salt crusted green stone altar with the obligatory black cultist candles along with a bunch of barrels. The chamber was far from empty and the hobo arrival was immediately observed an recognized for what it was, “Intruders! Infidels! Heretics!”. On the lower level there was three worshipping pirates and a pack of grossly bloated zombies. Atop the platform were three mutated cultists, the priest and 'it's' acolytes. All Dagon broke out.

Fight. Fight. Fight. The zombies vomited up vile brine, pirates swung wicked scimitars and the fish-like cultists hurled black magicks. This was another challenging battle that drained more resources without offering any replenishment at its completion. There was however a real nice ring sitting at the bottom of a barrel that Boris decided to smash just because. A door on the upper platform lead to the priest’s ready room. The occupants being presumably now deceased the chamber was devoid of adversaries. Seven cots and three chests. 

Ramrod went to work on chests. One of them was intricately carved to depict an oceanic scene. When it was touched Ramrod was engulfed in a wave a salt water that relayed eight rapidly expanding crab-men.

 

Raul had his dome rung twice and was left unable to cast spells or have two-way communications due to deafness. When the fight was over the gang were exhausted the day needed to end. After chucking the crabs into the shrine and looting the chests they locked the two doors and hunkered down for a rest cycle.

 

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

 

ROLECALL (totally too lazy to update xp. What’s your excuse?)

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

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-Three when we ask the questions:

Is this the best place to rest?

When will our trail of the dead be discovered?

What other evils lurk and where?

Tale of the Tape

Multiple blows to the head has left Raul is deaf for the next four days

KILLS

Skeleton Warriors (12) 

Pirates (9) 

Aqueous Zombies (12) 

Lackeys of Dagon (2) 

Cordon Fain Priest of Dagon 

Crabmen (8) 

LOOT

Ring of Protection +2

Scroll: Cure Light

Flail +1

Gems (15) 10 gp each = 150 gp

Gems (300) emerald chips @ 5 gp each = 1500 gp

Gems (7) diamond bits 120 gp each = 840 gp

Gems (136) 10 gp each = 1360 gp