KC's Age of Worms

Game Master Kobold Catgirl

OMG, we're all on at once? Quick, throw more monsters at us!

You could probably recover some from the dead octopus with a Survival or Heal check, but not from Cuetzpalli or Carina, no. If you're just after trace amounts to identify, though, go nuts on your fellow PCs.

^ Well, you could open that door...

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 To identify poison, though now that Cuetzpalli's made his save it's less important.

Gattel squeezes forward under Spiny and examines Cuetzpalli's wounds intently. He then tries the doorknob.

Eben sees Gattel headed for the door, and says "No, wait for Farr... actually, nevermind, carry on."

The door is locked. Farrukh is able to unlock it, of course.

Iron double doors cap this long hallway at both ends. The far wall has four doors spaced evenly along its length, with only a lone door on the other side.

While Farrukh works, Gattel crouches on the ground, flips his syringe back out of its sheath, and loads it with one of the vials he prepared before. He slips the device back in its sheath and pulls out his shortbow as the party enters the room.

Does Gattel have a chance to remember anything about this room?

"Eeny meeny miney moe?" Eben says, looking from one door to another.

Perception checks to listen at the west double doors.

1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18

Go ahead and roll a check, Gattel.

Gattel follows Eben to each door, being as stealthy as he is able, and tries to listen as well.

Stealth: 10 + 9 = 19 Perception to aid Eben: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (16) - 1 = 15
Stealth: 10 + 9 = 19 Perception to aid Eben: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (8) - 1 = 7

Unfortunately, he is distracted by the realization that he is still sopping wet, and is not much use.

Edit: Wisdom: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (2) - 1 = 1

"Eeny meeny miney moe?" Eben says, looking from one door to another.

Perception checks to listen at the west double doors.

1d20+12

Eben hears a soft murmuring from the western door. It sounds not unlike someone gagged. The murmuring sounds urgent.

Gattel follows Eben to each door, being as stealthy as he is able, and tries to listen as well.

[dice=Stealth]10+9 [dice=Perception to aid Eben]1d20-1
[dice=Stealth]10+9 [dice=Perception to aid Eben]1d20-1

Unfortunately, he is distracted by the realization that he is still sopping wet, and is not much use.

Edit: [dice=Wisdom]1d20-1

"Some kinda muttering behind this one..." Eben says in a whisper down the hall. He keeps his head pressed against the western door. He does, however, glare at Gattel, who is standing over him and dripping.

"Modified by what?"

After emerging from the water, Tanith produces his healing wand again and starts tending to the injured.

"Let's get fixed up a bit before you pull that lever. There's no telling what else is waiting down here for us."

[dice=CLW for Carina]1d8+1

[dice=CLW for Cuetzpalli]6d8+6

[dice=CLW for Spiny]3d8+3

[dice=CLW for Tanith]2d8+2

Assuming nothing attacks us in the meantime, 16 charges remaining.

"Thanks, brother." Cuetzpalli says to Tanith. He climbs up on the platform, and waits for the scouts to report with Farrukh.

"It may be orcs," Gattel murmurs back.

Something I forgot to mention:
The rooms down here seem meticulously well kept. None of the dust and dirt of the warehouse above is present here. Pale blue everburning torches are mounted on the walls, keeping the whole place well-lit—albeit in an off-putting azure glow.

Farrukh inspects the door Eben and Gattel are standing in front of.

If possible (once making sure the door is safe) Farrukh will peep through the keyhole.

Take 10 twice for a 28.

Carina sighs in resignation and looks over at Farrukh as he works.

--I mean, there'd be growing pains and an increase in muscle mass and bone density. It isn't supposed to happen all at once--that's how magic does it, not nature! Then again, I wonder if mimic flesh really is a catalyst for accelerated growth... they're not exactly natural creatures.

In seriousness, Jelani has been pretty good about frequent mentions of Spiny's growth. This marks Spiny's official upgrade to Large size, but he's been growing bigger all along the course of the campaign.

And Carina hasn't really been paying attention, clearly. :)

"There's someone in there, on their knees. I can't see anything else from here. I'm going to open it to get a better look."

Farrukh opens the door a crack, as quietly as he can, and peeks inside further.

Stealth: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23

Two tables, each surrounded by plain wooden chairs, sit in the middle of this chamber. The floor is rough stone. Unorganized heaps of maps, notes, and books cover the northern table. A large map of the Free City hangs on the opposite wall.

In the center of the room kneels a man Farrukh first saw in statue form. Even then, the statue had taken considerable liberties with his appearance. Now, one would never even recognize the two were linked, for Filge is uglier than ever.

Bruised and evidently clawed at, the scrawny necromancer occasionally compared to an osquip in appearance faces away from Farrukh. His hands are bound behind his back, and he's gagged. He seems to be trying to speak through it.

"It's Filge." Farrukh whisper back to Carina.

"What do you think? Should I ungag him?"

Carina winces when she sees Filge. "Might as well..." She replies.

"Oh, so that's Filge. Huh. Hard to say if him or Smenk are the uglier of the pair..."

Appraise: 1d20 ⇒ 6

"Go ahead, we've already set a low bar for prisoners we're setting free..."

Tanith grunts as he squeezes through the narrow opening into the larger hallway.

"I'm not fitting through that door unless I absolutely have to. Drag his ass outside."

Appraise: 10 + 13 = 23 Wisdom in case there's anything Gattel'd remember: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5

"Unusually ugly table, that, isn't it?" Gattel whispers, indicating the southern table. He steps into the room and pulls the beaten man's gag down with a nocked arrow. He quietly asks the man, "How fare you, old friend?"

"Well, as long as it's not me getting whacked in the head because I charged into a room."

Filge shudders as his gag is removed. His black eyes are wide. "I...know you. Know you." He twists to face the party, eyeing Tanith in particular. "Know you all. He's gained weight. I know this. Know it."

1d20 ⇒ 91d20 ⇒ 11d20 ⇒ 171d20 ⇒ 201d20 ⇒ 21d20 ⇒ 101d20 ⇒ 141d20 ⇒ 6

"See, even Filge can tell." Farrukh says, elbowing Tanith in the ribs.

"You need to lay off the bread, man."

Filge shudders as his gag is removed. His black eyes are wide. "I...know you. Know you." He twists to face the party, eyeing Tanith in particular. "Know you all. He's gained weight. I know this. Know it."

"Er... actually, you and I have never met. Can't speak for the guy that just ungagged you, but it seems unlikely too."

Filge frowns, looking confused. "Really? You...look like the other one, I guess." He looks at Gattel. "Saw you while I was in the cells. 'Fore they moved me."

A tiny bit of lucidity seems to return to his eyes. "You've gotta get me outta here. They're after you. They knew I'd fought you—thought I might know things. You've gotta get me outta here!"

Eben sighs. "Is every single prisoner here going to turn out to have been reduced to insanity?" he mutters over his shoulder.

"If that table's too big, it's probably a mimic. If that table's a mimic, this guy is probably a doppelganger. Shouldn't we at least cut him open to make sure? We can always heal him afterward," Cuetzpalli says, as he advances to the front and throws his trident into the weird table.

Attack on table: 1d20 + 10 - 4 ⇒ (18) + 10 - 4 = 24

Filge's eyes bulge. He starts struggling with his bonds, though it's obvious they're well beyond his ability to escape. "I am not a doppelganger!" he screams. Loudly.

The trident thuds into the table. The table stands there, momentarily stunned by the blow.

Roll initiative.

"Wow, the barrel, the table. Man, Cuetz. Inanimate objects must quiver when they see you coming. Well, they'd quiver if they weren't inanimate, I'm sure..."

Carina steps forward after letting Cuetzpalli stab the table with his trident.

"Sorry about that--could you please explain what they're doing here? For that matter, do you know why they're after us?" She asks, trying to maintain a calm voice to keep Filge from freaking out even more.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

"No! Shh! I will get you out of here. I was stuck here too, y'know. But then the lock melted. You'll get out of here," Gattel says, patting Filge on one of his bruises.

He turns back to the rest of the group, smiling wide. "I know a way to test him!"

Filge slowly quiets and stops struggling. He stares at Carina, swallowing. "That you, 'Red'? Vecna's cataracts, what've you done to yourself?"

He closes his eyes. "Okay. Okay. Uh...they're here 'cause this is their base. They're a gang. Working for someone, maybe? They don't seem too sure 'emselves half the time. Dunno why they're after you. Only Telakin knows—he's the boss. Met him when they...almost mind cloned me. They got some sorta magic, lets 'em store memories in gems, like...copies. They was gonna clone me, but then..." He frowns, clearly thinking intently. "Said they'd found a 'juicier prize'. Didn't wanna waste the gem. So they just dumped me back in my cell."

Gattel can make another Wisdom check.

"S@@!. If they can store memories...pass phrases and stuff are useless."

Farrukh subtly side-eyes Astraden's godfather.

"Died and came back." Carina replies, folding her arms. "You can thank Obad-Hai for that."

The mention of mind cloning gives her a chill down her spine. "Er... who was the prize they mentioned? Did they say?"

"Nah. Just know it wasn't me. And not the dinosaur. Couple of 'em was complaining about that thing killing some of those stalkers when they dumped me here."

Filge pauses, considering. "'Course, they can't take animal form, either. Guess that's the more major proof."

Wisdom: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (11) - 1 = 10

"Well it wasn't me!" Gattel says. He lays his bow on the table, then sits down and begins to mix some vials.

Elbowing Tanith's heavily muscled abdomen is much like elbowing a hairy brick wall.

The giant Kordite shakes his head. "I want to be mad at him but it's hard when he's in a state like that. What did they do to mess up his head so much?"

"Hmm. Also, it was me," Gattel says, rubbing his forehead. He looks down at Filge. "You've certainly failed to file. What were your earnings in the year 581?"

"Uh...I think I was robbing gra—uh, um, robbing banks, so..." Filge grimaces, shaking his head. "What the f!#+ am I saying? Why're you lot working with this lunatic?"

Gattel shrugs and gets back to work. "I'm the only one who remembers. Large man, is there anyone coming down the corridor?"

Tanith cranes his neck and looks over his shoulder. "Not yet."