Wtf? I posted days ago
Ill do it again from a computer later
Frustrating
religion
damage
swift study of the beast
Rameth finally arrives Those spikes really piss me off He says as he slams his club down on the creature
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The beast is a guecubu, an undead monster created from the remains of particularly evil criminals whose remains have been scattered by villagers to prevent them from rising. For the guecubu, the criminal's will is enough to reassemble a body from earth, stone, roots, and plants drawn from the region into which the remains were scattered.
They're known to curse those they hit, causing them to lose coordination needed in combat.
Mesdoram dances across the spikes on his way to the monster.
His sword slams into the monster, gouging out earth that had replaced a rib.
Try to relax. The worst that can happen is gangrene and your foot rots off.
The monster attacks, trying to club Rameth to death in response.
Make a DC 20 Will save or become permanently cursed with misfortune. You take a –4 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks, and any critical threat against you automatically confirms. If it hits a creature already suffering from this curse make a DC 20 Will save or be staggered for 1 round.
Rameth responds by swinging away with the first attack then assisting Mesdo's defense
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Aid fails on a 1
Nothing a little alcohol can't fix I suspect
Don't forget your will save!
oh right. sorry. will save
The undead monster roars, its body scarcely managing to reknit itself against the blows raining on the creature.
It screams and vanishes into the floor.
The fracturing in the ground gets worse and a cavern opens up beneath you and you fall.
The cavern itself, littered now with loose rock and earth from the chamber above, is a rough-hewn cavern with several passages running off of it.
The wall of the cavern has a discoloration plainly visible in the wall, of a six-bladed knife with a snake-handle. The symbol is of the monstrous demon lord Andirifkhu, who you remember well from your time on Jalmeray
Rameth lays panting for bit, then he uses a boro bead to recall shield, then pops in some new barbarian chew, then he looks around
religion
traps
Aw man. This a*%$$~% again? Rameth points out the wall
You don't detect any traps, and it's more like a mineral discoloration - as if it was naturally occurring.
*cue X-Files theme*
Mesdoram peers at the wall.
What the hells is that?
Thats the same symbol for that nasty god we dealt with in Jamelay or whatever that place was called.
Wanna pick a passage for us to walk toward our doom down?
Mesdoram looks exasperated.
Are you telling me you forgot the name of a whole island? Where you slept with a demon woman? And went on some crazy magical drug trip?
He'll point at the nearest passage.
That way, I suppose. Let me get my collapsible pole.
I got more important stuff to do than remember stupid islands
+2 for traps
Rameth says as he leads the way
The passage opens out into a broad crevase - 15 feet across and of great depth and you halt Mesdoram before you come to another off-color patch of stone, this time on the floor. Picking up a stone you toss it and hit dead center and loose dirt and sand collapses into a pit.
Looking down rough stalagmites rising from the floor into hideously sharp looking points - the pit is forty feet across.
Got a grappling hook?
I do.
Mesdoram pulls out his traveler's any-tool and quickly manipulates it into a four pronged grappling hook of masterwork quality.
There you go. It can also be a trowel or a level if you'd want it to be.
I figure it probably smartest to climb down, cross over and then climb back up. Whatta you think?
Mesdoram eyes the pit dubiously.
Given the spacing of those stalagmites I'm not sure we can traverse the spikes without getting hurt.
Well, what's your plan? Rameth says while taking a hit of booze
My plan? Why do I always need to come up with a plan?
He looks at the ceiling, the pit, and the rope.
Well, we could swing across. How graceful are you?
Well you always whine about mine.
Rameth tosses the hook to try to set it
Then he pulls on it and swings over
Mesdoram catches the rope on the back swing and swings over, then pulls out a dagger and rams it into the wall then ties the rope there so they can escape.
Damn dungeons. Always with the traps, corridors, levels and monsters. I miss the Shackles - I once found a buried treasure there on a beach under the shade. Dug up the whole thing with a single shovel with a nice breeze blowing.
He sighs at the happy memory.
There's nothing better than a beach, a buxom blonde, a bevy of baubles and a bottle of rum to relax you.
After you swing across the corridor in swashbuckling fashion you land on the other side and continue down the corridor for a ways.
Soon you come to a circular chamber where the light stretches up to a dome of solid, polished rock.
Alcoves stick into the walls and have small idols set up.
The idols are made of elf bones and are ancient - you'd swear they date back to pre-Earthfall.
heal
Well that's good and creepy idols made of elf bone. Ancient elf bone. I'm no softy but that's kind of creepy
Any other exits?
None that you see immediately.
But there could be something hidden!
Well lets check this place for hidden doors and all that jazz.
percep add 2 for traps
You start on that side, Ill start here
Mesdoram moves around checking as well.
Mesdoram pushes aside one of the bone totems with a brief Whoops! and shouts in triumph.
A switch!
Before Rameth can stop him Mesdoram pulls the switch and a horrible grinding sound greets you. Dust and small rocks fall onto the ground around you and for a second you think Mesdoram has killed both of you.
But a portion of the wall creaks and falls over with a huge crash and beyond the chamber you see an emaciated figure in the darkness beyond. A cloud of spores and a trail of feathers surrounds the twisted cross between a man and a gigantic vulture that looms 8 feet tall in the distance.
Its voice is reedy and sqwaks occasionally intrude when it intones your end.
So my tools have failed. *Sqwak!* Well, so be it. I will kill you and spread *Sqwak!* chaos beyond this small valley to the grand cities and soon this insignificant spec on the Material Plane will *Sqwak* be another bauble in the hands of our kind.
Feathers spray out of its mouth as if it's chocking on its own filth.
Man evil isnt even trying anymore. zombie bird man. Seriously?
+8 or 9 depending on the skill needed
Mesdoram, why would you pull that switch like that. That was foolish
It was there! We were in a dead end! Stop berating me and...uh...is that a vrock? I think that's a vrock. The release spores and can stun anyone near them.
Well, good times. So Mr. Keaton, are we gonna fight or you wanna just tell us your evil plan and realize that its really not cool and go back to the hell you came from?
The vrock screeches its indignation.
I am a demon, we don't consort with the Hells!
It poises to attack.
The vrock goes first and springs forward, claws outstretched towards the mouthy investigating barbarian.
Rameth roars in pain and rage, does a swig to study and then lays into the beast
MY TURN
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Rameth's club lands two good blows but the ice vanishes against the vrock's skin and a good deal of the blow fails to land properly. What should have been devastating is merely mean.
Mesdoram drives his sword home into the side of the demon - the first attack diving deep and causing a screech of pain.
The second one doesn't dig home quite as much and barely seems to prick the demon.
The vrock opens it mouth and screams horrifyingly loudly.
Rameth pushes a switch on his belt and his shield extract pops up to his mouth, he downs it, then attacks again after stepping into a flank with Mesdoram
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