Mission 7 - The Tunnels, Turn 22 *Turn Ends
9PM UTC, 23 May 2025.*
In order: Argy, Bellandra, BenKii/Hag, Gilius, Count, Grog'tial, Kyp, Crew
Within the eerie quiet after the screams and chanting there comes another thunk and a small series of mechanical sounding clicks. Even the faint sounds from the side tunnels pause for a moment. Then the ticking sound can be heard. The skittering and clacking from the sides increase their pace.
Argy: (roll dice*5)
Another deadly trap... what could go wrong? you think to yourself. Trying to ignore your growling stomach you sniff the food and wrinkle your nose. You are a halfling cook with a natural love and understanding of food ... and
this food doesn't look or smell right to you. For one thing, it looks too perfect. There isn't a single blemish or slightly off cut or uneven cooking mark anywhere. The food steams as if hot and fresh, but while it doesn't
seem rancid, the subtle herbs and spices that should waft fragrantly instead smell old, dusty and cold to you. This isn't like anything you would ever serve, except maybe to Beckett or that drunken nobleman and his friends that got you arrested and made you lose your inn in the first place. Come to think of it, that nobleman dressed and acted a lot like one of Beckett's cohorts. But that is a thought for later. " 'Tis be not healthy. Food should be stored in a clean and dry place, nay like 'ere," you tell your mateys, relaying to them your opinion that something about it also isn't right.
Argy, you look at the casks. While they seem to be closed and so might be safer, you decide to wait for someone else to inspect them before doing anything.
Kyp still has Pugwash's old crystal flask that purifies whatever liquid is placed in it. You remember how you used to place aside a special cask for Pugwash to use with it, and how Aeshma mistook it once when she was trying to get
Aylar to sleep. Unfortunately, as was proved by Aeshma's potion, while the crystal flask will purify any poisons or foulness, it doesn't eliminate potions brewed from pure sources, like the sleeping potion. You shake your head, just not trusting it.
Argy, grabbing a lit candelabra in one hand and hefting your trusty pan in the other, you continue to the central corridor ahead as fast as you can, ready to keep up with the others when they move on.
Bellandra: (roll dice*3) After the screams give way to the sudden eerie silence,
your link to the owl-gargoyle is almost viciously severed. There is still a residual fragmented sense as if something has tried to cut it off and only partially succeeded. Now with the ticking having resumed again you know
if this place adjusts itself as before then your time is limited to reach wherever that connection is coming from. "I sense the owl gargoyle up ahead, methinks that corridor at least is worth exploring. Those clacking sounds could be spiders, centipedes, or maybe even driders or chuulpions, though, best be ready," you say to the others, before agreeing with
Argy's warning. "As for those offerings on the table, I be distrustful, besides spoiling, it be all too easy to lace those with poison. And if there be creatures here, why have they not dined on these? But this be also a strange magical place, who knows what be meant to help or harm. I say we could take some along, to risk only if needed."
Bellandra, you step forward alongside Argy to the central corridor, taking the torch from beside its entrance to help light the way so crew won't be left in pitch black darkness like before. In your other hand
you hold your hand crossbow, but you are ready to switch to your cutlass if needed. **(
GM Note - I've either missed or do not see where you posted to reload your crossbow and with what style of bolt.)
Captain BenKii: (roll dice*5) You swiftly snatch the torch off the damp ground before it can sputter out, not willing to bet that there will be light wherever you end up next. Holding it high you examine the table for a few pieces of food and drink that are easy to carry while listening to
Argy and Bellandra's opinions of why not to trust it. You tell the crew your theory, "This appears to be another chapter of an old book I used to read. Same as the Rabbit that was late, or the Cheshire cat, or the Queen of Hearts. All of those were from that book as well. If I'm right, then all this food will make us larger and the drinks will make us smaller. At least that's what it did in the book.
Kyp, perhaps you could take some of that liquid with us in your flask?" With that
you reach for some bread, cheese and fruit to stuff in your pockets. As you touch the food the bread crumbles and turns to dust in your hands while the cheese fragments become lumps of clay and the fruit becomes nothing but pits.
The Hag's taunting cackle echoes through the chamber as the illusion shatters. "Sorry, dearies. You'll have to come and bring me the halfling if you want to eat," the Hag's voice says. "Or perhaps you prefer to be eaten?" The sounds from the side tunnels multiply.
BenKii, with the screams then silence, the ticking starting again and now the increased beeps and whistled warnings from your tricorder, you look down to see the readout shows more threats registering from the left and right corridors while
the skull symbol moves quickly down the corridor towards a room at the end with a power-up symbol. "Gentlemen, it appears we're about to have company for dinner and we are the main course. I suggest we don't dine in tonight," you say, urging the rest of the crew to proceed with haste as you move down the path the skull figure is shown to be heading.
You attempt to keep a lookout for traps while keeping an eye on your tricorder's readings.
Gilius: (roll dice*6) [Rocky, 2 Turns reserved] You focus on the banquet and are about to approach the table when
BenKii reaches for the bread and some cheese and
the food changes. Then comes the Hag's taunting.
*Success* Your senses tell you while much of the things on the table were originally natural, they have been changed or touched by foul magic. Nothing here will sustain the Crew, or not for long anyway. Turning away, you quickly look down the side entrances, stretching your druid senses along with your darkvision.
*Success* You sense both natural and unnatural beings. What you see, however, is worse.
Large centipedes, maggot-like slug creatures and several large spiders emerge from among the branching tunnels of bones, while behind them armed skeletons are rising and assembling themselves before turning in your direction. The Hag is sending a small army after the Crew! You shout out the warning to the others as you run to the front central corridor after
Argy, Bellandra and BenKii.
Count Karnstein: (roll dice*3)
(Weakened) "Well, 'tis a graveyard, alright. Fancy, subterranean type at that. Chapeau bas,
Cap'n BenKii, impressive orientation skills indeed," you state loudly while stoically ignoring your soaked attire. It could be worse, much worse in fact.
Count, hearing the Hag's taunts and
Gilius' warning, you quickly help
Grog'tial barricade the entrance to the central corridor behind you with the table once everyone is in. You glance around for any beams or something to reinforce it, but find none. The heavy table alone will have to do. It should be enough to block or delay the slugs and skeletons if they are stupid enough creatures. You hope the tunnels from the side corridors aren't interconnected with this one. With the table wedged at your backs,
you advance to the front line of the group to move further down the corridor with your shield ready.
Grog'tial: (roll dice*5) [crossbow; 2 regular bolts loaded] Mindful of
Argy's warning, you are about to use your dirk to scan the food and drink when
you see the illusion shatter and hear the cruel cackling and taunts of the Hag. In place of the roasts and capon you see large desiccated maggot and spider husks. Ugh. At least they're dead. Then you hear
BenKii urging haste and Gilius' warning about incoming spiders, centipedes, slugs and skeletons from the side tunnels.
Why does it always have to be spiders? Grog'tial, you quickly clip your crossbow to your belt while snatching as many of the crystal glasses as you can in your gloved hands.
*Success* Grabbing six of the eight crystal glasses by their stems, you run to the entrances of the side tunnels and
toss three into each, shattering the crystal into sharp shards to hamper anything coming from there. Returning to the banquet table, you request assistance to
overturn it and drag it to blockade the entrance to the central tunnel once they're all inside. With the help of
Count and Kyp you manage to work it in to a nice tight fit. You know it won't stop the spiders or centipedes, but it should stop or slow the rest. Once that is done you sigh as you once again change out your bolts for
two regular ones. At least you're getting extra practice to help get even swifter with reloading. Proceeding into the central corridor with the others,
you take up guard duty, ready to shoot any enemy that appears while also keeping a close eye on your dirk.
It shows no mental influence threats. Kyp: (roll dice*3)
(Weakened) [Per PM'd intent] You notice in the brief moment of quiet after the thunk and before the ticking starts that
the music has run down again. Getting back to your feet,
you rewind the music box. You hear
Argy's warning, as well as
Bellandra's concerns and frankly, looking at the shattered illusion of the food you aren't willing to replace the pure water in your crystal flask with
anything off of THAT table. Instead you
help Grog'tial and Count overturn the table and barricade the central corridor behind you, then move down the tunnel after the others
as rear guard with Grog'tial.
Crew: (roll dice*5) As you proceed down the corridor the flickering torch and candle light cast strange shadows on the occupants of the alcoves, giving them a sinister aspect almost as if they shift or move. In the light you see
they are empty suits of knight's armor, the darkness within those lowered vacant helms seeming all too menacingly watchful. You are almost halfway down the corridor when you hear the sound of weapons beginning to chop at the table barricade.
Grog'tial glances behind to see
many medium dog sized spiders and only slightly smaller centipedes already crawling over the barricade onto the walls and ceiling. Ahead in the dimness Crew can just see the open doorway of a lit room at the end. Then
two suits of armor step from the alcoves into the corridor 10m/33ft ahead of you carrying halberds, their figures outlined by the light from the room beyond.
Kyp and Grog'tial call out a warning as
two more suits of armor step out behind the Crew, trying to trap you all between them. The tricorder shrills and beeps, showing
the Pac-Man skull taking a sudden turn left into a narrow tunnel as the symbols of the four Pac-Man Ghosts representing the possessed knight armor chases after. Following the skull image on the tricorder, you turn into the narrower tunnel, managing to keep ahead of pursuers as it leads you all on a round about way back to the corridor,
the four suits of armor now all chasing behind you.
You come out of the narrower tunnel into the central corridor barely 3m/10ft in front of the open doorway into the room.
1.5m/5ft before the doorway on each side is an alcove with vines. The tricorder beeps again, showing the skull symbol disappearing into the room. Inside you find
three empty painting frames lying on the floor amidst the scattered litter of puzzle pieces. On the wall to one side of the door is a lit torch. On the other side is a table and a long bench. To each side of the door are brackets for barricading the door, but there is no bar.
The ticking continues along with the sounds of chopping and cracking of wood at the other end of the corridor as the warning beeps of the tricorder show
the four Pac-Man Ghost symbols of the possessed suits of armor and the blips of the swarm of spiders and centipedes getting closer.
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End Central Corridor/doorway to Painting Room: Argy, Bellandra, BenKii, Count, Gilius, Grog'tial, Kyp
Somewhere out in the World, near a brothel: Devin
???: Aylar, Cliodhna, Aeshma, Refyx, Rummyfangs, Baldbeard
