IC Area - Chapter Three - "Lair of the Lizard Queen"

[apn]

OOC Will is still 4 points down on Str but passes the swimming test easily enough.

In fact he makes light work of the tunnel with all its twists and turns, bumps and sharp bits...

Will slid into the tunnel and found it slick with water and that birthing gunge that had come out of the Queen! Over time the stuff would eventually harden and create a hard smooth coating.

Then when the water overflowed again the tunnel would be slightly smoother than before and the water would flow like a torrent - along with anyone foolish enough to slide/slip/fall down the slide into the darkness!

And darkness it was, stygian, with no sense of where the Delvers were aside from the light stomach feeling of falling, and the occasional painful tumble or bouncing off a rough hewn wall to knock a patch of skin off...

No such problem for the young warrior who goes down on his belly, keeps his mouth mostly shut and continues for what seems an age as the tunnel twists and turns and... he's suddenly flailing in the air as there is dim light ahead and the tunnel ends... with the water and the Delvers plunging ten feet into a large round chamber, full of water and gunge now!

Will gets a moment to note that green algae on the walls casts a strange glowing light about the place - then he smashes into the ice cold waters and has to swim/thrash his way to the suface!

The round chamber is around thirty feet across and at least as deep. Once upon a time it might have been a place for some beast to live at the bottom waiting for enemies of the temple to be tossed in, for the dim light shows a ledge some thirty feet above where Will treads water, but the darkness takes over and nought can be seen past there.

What CAN be seen are long dark shapes in the water, two or more feet long. Two wide and not quite graceful enough to be fish, they must be glarplings who have been swept down here!

As the young warrior swims to the side of the room/pool he sees - opposite the chute that spat him out - another hole in the wall opposite it, square cut and acting as another overflow drain. It was six feet above the water level and the walls in this place were slick with the greasy algae.

He was contemplating being eaten by glarplings in the water when he heard cries and turned.

The Dwarf gave a gurgled "Urp!" as he plunged head first into the sludge water and Firdle followed a moment later followed by Slyclaw who twisted in the air and dived smoothly in contrast to the panicked flailing arms and cries before they were silenced by water.

OOC 67AP for Will (186AP) with no issues.

45AP for Klarrrrchur (271AP I'll amend his IQ increase shortly) and Klarrrrchur loses 7 points of stats from the Fumble. This is a temporary loss, you choose which stats and they recover at the rate of 1/10 minutes like the loss Will suffered. It would have been 1D6 per fail in each category but the fumble made it a 2D6 Daro loss... which came up 2+2 then 2+1 so he gets away lightly.

67AP for Firdle as well (weirdly) and 145AP total with edit: apn rolls 1d6 = 2 points of stat loss affecting him.

It's probably obvious but the points to come off physical stats
for a trauma of this kind. If you were sick, it could come off pretty much any stat. Whack on the head? IQ and/or charisma may take a hit.

I haven't given up on the thought of some kind of critical/hit table where Delvers don't automatically lose Con, they might lose a different stat point/points instead, but Con would be the most likely. Anyway, that's for OOC discussion...

With Klarrrrchur coughing and spluttering and being helped to the side of the plunge pool where fingertips can try to find purchase on the slippery algae coated rocks, the Delvers have a moment to assess their situation.

The water breaks gently and Slyclaws' head emerges slowly, the amphibious reptile having no issues with the water.

"Glarpy mussst have come in here and gone out there." he says, referring to the six foot high hole in the round wall of the once chamber. As if to confirm the Delvers can see gouged holes in the algae on the walls due to the Dhesiris claws.

"I may be able to climb up... but I'm not sure I have the ssstrength to help you. I can try." admitted the old lizardman.

The water thrashed near him and he muttered "I ssssugessssst we get out as ssssoon as we can. The glarplingssss in here will ssssoon disssscover that the thingssss in the pool with them are edible!"



OOC An 'artists' impression of the plunge pool... ahem.

The glarplings in the water didn;t attack immediately. They didn't have to. They'd simply wait for their 'food' to tire and drown, then pick the flesh from their bones!

Whilst the Delvers tread water and slip/slide their hands off the rocks on the wall at the sides of the pool, anything to get some respite from having to tread water, they could hear the roar of battle from up the chute.

The Dhesiri Queens' roars drowned much of it out, but there was also the familiar "Wooosh! CRACK! BANG!" of a Fiend spell going off!

Edit: Sig updated with AP totals and Klarrrrchurs sheet is changed for his IQ increase.

Also need to correct - Firdle to lose 1d6 points from stats for Str fail...

[houndle]

Will Darness
 "Have we still got the rope?" gasps Will spluttering in the icy water. "Perhaps first man up can secure it to something at the top."

 " I wonder who's chucking magic about? Is that behind us or in front of us? I wonder if we should go back the way we came."

[nialldubh]

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:

“Yes, lets do that Will,” states Klarrrrchur sarcastically as he coughs up water and swims to the wall that Glarrpy must have climb up...

“Glarpy, where are you?!” He calls...

“Yes we still have the rope we brought, if I remember right about 150 feet, but if less, it still it will be enough to pull up the weaker ones if they cannot climb, here hoping I not fumble one more time!”

Actions:

Actions of Dwarf... Attempts to Climb wall...

OOC: To be just I take four off STR, three off LK as he not very lucky with fumbles killing him every time...

So, Reduce CA to +54 for present...

Mountaineer (ST 66 -4 = +62): Nialldubh rolls 2d6+56 = 1 +6 + 56 = 63.

[apn]

Sept 7, 2022 7:46:22 GMT -5 nialldubh said:

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:

“Yes, lets do that Will,” states Klarrrrchur sarcastically as he coughs up water and swims to the wall that Glarrpy must have climb up...

“Glarpy, where are you?!” He calls...

“Yes we still have the rope we brought, if I remember right about 150 feet, but if less, it still it will be enough to pull up the weaker ones if they cannot climb, here hoping I not fumble one more time!”

Actions:

Actions of Dwarf... Attempts to Climb wall...

OOC: To be just I take four off STR, three off LK as he not very lucky with fumbles killing him every time...

So, Reduce CA to +54 for present...

Mountaineer (ST 66 -4 = +62): Nialldubh rolls 2d6+56 = 1 +6 + 56 = 63.

OOC See the OOC post, forget the stat reduction, we move on.

[apn]

Clinging as best he can to the slippery wall and aided by Will and Firdle where possible, Klarrrrchur takes the sack from where its wrapped around a weapon hook on his belt and sort of juggles it so he can get his hand inside...

As if the sack knows what he's after, rather than bring out endless piles of everything else he doesn't want, the Delvers rope comes into Klarrrrchurs' grasp!

A lucky first time grab or was this wondrous magical item the 'must have' accessory for this seasons fashionable Delver about Town/Dungeon?

The Dwarf calls for Glarpy...

The group waits, with a mix of treading water and trying to grab hold of slippery rocks.

"There are Glarplingsss in here..." said Slyclaw, slipping his head under the water. The old Dhesiri had no problems seeing in the near darkness below the water or holding his breath without much effort.

"... and lots of bonesss picked clean of flessssh. And other sssstuff. Mossst of it rotten by now, but it's all deep, deep down." stated the Dhesiri.

At any moment one or more Dhesiri warriors might come hurtling down the chute. Without weapons (hands are being used to grab walls or tread water) the group were sitting ducks!

Where was...

"Glarp?" muttered Glarpy, sticking his head from the exit tunnel. There was blood all over his hands.

"He ssssaysss... "said Slyclaw "He'sss been to the tunnel exit and moved the grid. There wasss a guard on the other ssside, asss expected. He knew the guard. They grew up together and fought alongssside each other, back to back as comradesss in armsss and blood brothersss, and alwaysss ssswore to have each othersss backsss."

"Glarp." added Glarpy.

"Oh. He sssaysss the blood isss from where he picked up a large rock when hisss friend guardsss back wasss turned and he hit him repeatedly until hisss head wasss gone. He wasss ssslightly delayed becaussse he dragged the body into the bussshesss and doesssn't want anyone elssse to find it and eat his friendsss heart. They can have the ressst of it, apparently."

Slyclaw sighed. "Now you sssee why I left all thisss behind?"

OOC ok, someone will need to make a Dex roll to throw the rope.

Someone make a luck roll to see if any Dhesiri drop in here before you climb out.

All of you need to make a strength roll to climb out.

Humans players, I will take the first roll if it is enough to pass a L1SR and ignore the reroll.

[apn]

Sept 7, 2022 7:46:22 GMT -5 nialldubh said:

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:
<snip>

Mountaineer (ST 66 -4 = +62): Nialldubh rolls 2d6+56 = 1 +6 + 56 = 63.

OOC use your mountaineer by all means but stat for this one is Dex - with the surface so slippery the challenge is actually getting something - anything - that you can hold onto and climb out. if it wasn't so slime coated Str would be used and you'd be up in a shot. This is why the glarplings wait rather than attack. Anyone trying to escape this place generally fails to get out, tires, and drowns...

Despite being an experienced Mountaineer Klarrrrchur gets up a certain part of the way (L1SR passed) then slides off into the water, caught/slowed by the Delvers who shiver and tread water around him.

OOC Klarrrchur 7AP earned 168AP total.

The walls, coated in the glowing algae and birthing sludge over time, feel worse than if they'd been lathered in a thick coating of grease!

[nialldubh]

OOC: Eh, got 7, +15 = 22, +3 Mountaineering for L2?

Guess I probably slip if it that bad?! Just want the AP.

[houndle]

Will Darness
Will continues to try and avoid being drowned or eaten. Something strikes him; not a falling dwarf thankfully.

 "If Glarpy can get up and down easily can we not tie the rope to him? He's a strong boy, even if he can't tie knots maybe he can brace the end of the rope somewhere?"

 "What order should we go in? Maybe Klarrrrchur first to deal with any surprises up top, me last to deal with any sudden problems down here?" 

 for a moment it crosses his mind to dive to the bottom and check whether there's a shiny helmet to match his shiny armour. On reflection that's maybe not such a good idea.

ACTIONS
Assuming the Glarpy plan succeeds, or the rope is otherwise placed, Will has a go at climbing out when it's his turn. Taking STR as 16 for the moment:
WillDarness rolls 2d6+16 = 3 +5 + 16 = 24 L1PASS

[cupboardgnome]

'Someone make a luck roll to see if any Dhesiri drop in here before you climb out.'

ok...

Firdle the Adequate rolls 2d6+13 = 4 +6 + 13 = 23

Strength saves to climb out - Firdle is rather a puny specimen.

Firdle the Adequate rolls 2d6+8 = 1 +3 + 8 = 12

Firdle the Adequate rolls 2d6+8 = 4 +4 + 8 = 16
DARO!
Firdle the Adequate rolls 2d6+16 = 3 +5 + 16 = 24

[nialldubh]

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:

“Yeah, Glarpy get doun here. We not got claws!”

Actions:

Actions of Dwarf...

OOC: Still not sure if L2SR for climb is enough, so do not know if I up or doun?

If I have to Climb again, I roll and just add STR or DEX as needed. +3 Mountaineering thing...

Nialldubh rolls 2d6 = 2 +6 = 8.

[apn]

OOC The wall is practically impossible to climb, L4Sr Dex check required to pass. If you have claws and strength, L1Sr. The Glarplings and Warriors have little trouble. Still, another 7AP for Klarrrchur now on 175AP and it was worth the check because of the chance of a Daro.

Glarpy catches the rope thrown by Klarrrchur without much issue and wraps it around his shoulders.

Firdle, being physically the weakest and most likely not to be able to pull themselves from the freezing cold water, defies expectations by heaving himself up the rope!

The strong hands of the Glarp warrior grasp Firdle and pull him up. The wizard may have to hold his breath. Up close Glarpy stinks and this corridor is big enough for humans, cosy for Dhesiri.

Squeezing past the Dhesiri, the wizard sees the exit tunnel is kind of a hump, sloping gently to a dot in the distance which, although not bright, reflects the moonlight enough to suggest it as the way out.

Will goes next, as able as Firdle and feels the reassuring hands of the Glarp warrior pull him up. The squeezing past is rather more intimate than Glarpy expects as he mutters "Glarp!" and Will is thankful to be past, seeing what Firdle sees.

Slyclaw doesn't use the rope. His natural claws find crevices and though he huffs with the effort the old boy is soon out of the tunnel.

KLarrrrchur turns. So far the delvers luck has held out. The expectation of a horde of Dhesiri warriors popping from the inlet chute meant this place could have become a deathtrap for the Delvers.

Instead the powerful Dwarf hefts himself up without any effort and the Delvers are free to descend the - still slippery but more gentle - slope. A single Glarp warrior at the top of the slime smeared gentle slop would be able to hold it effectively - anyone coming up the slop would need all their effort to stop sliding backwards and it would probably be impossible or at least unlikely that anyone without climbing equipment would be able to get back. At some point retreating Glarp would heading down here if the Snee overrun the place.

Hopefully the Delvers will be long gone by them!

=========

The sounds of the jungle are somewhat drowned out by the sound of war on the outside of the temple which competes with the roar of the river!

With Klarrrrchur in front he looks about.



KEY

Red dot - the exit tunnel/chute where the Delvers emerge. It is low to the waterline, hidden by bushes and rocks/shadows and there is a ledge about six foot out from the cliff where the dead Glarp Warrior now lies. A rough made bed of bones, sticks, feathers, skins and leaves is nearby. Apparently the assignment to stay here, hidden, guarding the entrance to the tunnel and a way into the Queens chamber (potentially) was a cushy number. The objective would be to keep it hidden to prevent enemies even knowing about it, but a guard would stay here at all times, low key, to raise the alarm and slow down any incursion.

Now the body of the Glarp warrior has been dragged into the bushes on the ledge. A bloody smear where its head used to be and a large sharp rock nearby shows what Glarpy had done to his brother.

The ledge is over a drop of around twenty feet into the fast flowing river. You'd have to be very strong indeed to make your way across simply from swimming.

1) Snee drones and warriors pour from the jungle in this direction towards the Glarp temple! There must have been many, now they are in twos and threes, a total of around 10 drones and three warriors loping from the jungle towards the rope bridge.

2) The Glarp made a stand here and tried to slash through the rope bridge. The bodies were dismembered and eaten and the bridge still stands, albeit somewhat precariously with one rope almost cut through.

3) Bodies lay here, Snee and Glarp. A ferocious battle was fought. From being a time of triumph for the Queen the very real possibility of Glarp clan extinction is now on the cards.

4) The river is flowing fast and hard from the jungle rains. It's night time, not long after midnight and the torrent of the river roars and crashes past. It would take a brave or foolhardly person to plunge into those depths.

5) A war wages outside the temple with the Glarp retreating step by step against the more numerous Snee but both sides are taking casualties.

6) Where the jungle invasion of the Snee kicked off, diverting the majority of the forces to defend against here whilst the rope bridge was relatively undefended. It must have take quite a trek for the Snee to find somewhere unseen to cross the river but it looks like their plan is coming to fruition.

Somewhere out there the poop smeared ponies might still be waiting, but the jungle at night is a dangerous place.

OOC 9AP for Will (193AP) 31AP for Firdle (176AP) and 8AP for Klarrrrchur (183AP)

With the Snee patrols and the Jungle dangers, you are only just climbing out of the frying pan. The fire around it may need some tricky manoeuvring. Even as capable as you are, fighting an army of Snee will only go one way!

[houndle]

Will Darness
Will ponders the conundrum.

 "Feels like we've been up against this problem before," he muses. "How did we cross the river last time? Oh yeah, we half killed Glarpy."

 " I suppose the slippery slope is the only way in or out? No hidden staircase leading to the top of the cliff, or handy point where a rope might be fastened to aid our ascent? "

 "Any very strong swimmers in the party? Maybe with a rope so we can haul them to safety? Or use a bow to shoot the rope across the river?"

 " I wonder if that nest contains anything of use. "

 "Do you think I should put my clothes back on now?"

ACTIONS
Will wanders about spouting nonsense and trying to keep out of sight of enemies while he searches for clues.



 

[nialldubh]

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:

Klarrrrchur looks at the chattering Will, he presumes it was youthful excitement and muses, “Glarpy swam over and pulled us across one at a time, it seems like the best plan!”

“Aye here is your armour, you had best don it if we do attract too much attention. We far enough away to slink into the woods away from the Snee!”

The Dwarf looked down at the fallen Glarp warrior and thinks, 'my new best pal is a bit brutal on his old comrades, perhaps once we reach civilization Slyclaw and Glarpy will return to the jungle, so sad!'

“Slyclaw, ask Glarpy if he think he can swim over to other side with one end of the rope rapped to him and pull us over one at a time!”

Actions:

Actions of Dwarf... Make sure plant is fine and search bag for other useful stuff...

[apn]

OOC On a personal note, thank you Queen Elizabeth for your lifetime of service, God Save the King!

And now back to our scheduled programming...

Glarpy seemed preoccupied and moments after Slyclaw, the last one to come out of the slimy tunnel, emerged, he moved over to the bushes.

Ignoring comments for him to attach ropes the Dhesiri instead crouched over the body of his brother. Moments later loud crunching sounds could be heard as he broke into the body...

Slyclaw could barely speak. He lay on his belly and lacked even the strength to rise, gasping. "I fear the exertionssss have... ended me. I do not feel well ... at all."

He did look an odd colour, becoming paler by the moment from his usual green, even under the moons light. Perhaps his time was over. The Delvers heard his wheezing gasps grow somewhat laboured as he was helped to sit against the rock.

Klarrrrchur, having removed the rope, fished in the bag for other stuff. Unfortunately though the ledge was large enough for them all to stand on (and for Glarpy to lay out a body which he was now cracking open) the various crates and bags that were coming out of the sack would soon overwhelm that.

One bag had arrowheads of metal, roughly made but functional and heavier and larger (longer) than the sack it came out of. Another
crate of wood came out and when cracked open it was packed with salt and in it, eyeballs and tongues of some kind. Delicacies or offal depended on your point of view, but the Dhesiri would devour them with relish.

Most of it seemed to be food. Sides of meat, choice cuts, rump sections, lots and lots of meat. The Urucks had indeed come to trade. They would 'obtain' their goods en route and trade with the Dhesiri for their gold and artefacts which, aside from being shiny, possessed no value to the Lizard people. Unfortunately that trade had not yet taken place!

With the sounds of noisy crunching giving way to tearing and slurping, the Delvers had to wait a few minutes for Glarpy to finish. He stood without word and marched to Klarrrrchur, taking the rope. All down his front he was bloodied, and his face was a gory mess!

"Glarp." he burped. Then he saw Slyclaw and moved over, giving him a nudge/kick. "Glarp!"

Slyclaw, weak now, looked up. "Ssssomething issss happening. You musssst go on without me." He held up a hand. The fingers were so pale now they appeared white in the moonlight and he could barely move them, they were so stiff.

His feet were the same, and the bone white colour seemed to be spreading up his body slowly...

Glarpy shrugged and turned, taking the rope in his jaw and jumping without further ado into the raging river! The rope showed his progress as he swam submerged across and moments later, the powerful lizardman appeared somewhat downstream but alive and well out on the other side, clinging to the rocks with his claws and looking up... to where Snee moved towards the bridge.

OOC You may have to wait for the Snee to leave, or leave only a few as rear guard, or can try to make the river crossing and risk being seen...

[nialldubh]

Klarrrrchur Deathaxe:

“I guess nothing of this is a healing tonic to the Dhesiri then?!” He grunts, “well farewell Slyclaw, may yer soul fly to the great sky in the high and be forever free!”

Klarrrrchur drew a few runes with his finger in the air, as a sign of Khavad Dwarven symbolism as a mark of passing and waited till Slyclaw faded...

He made a sign for Glarpy to keep low. “Let us wait till the Snee more off, then we follow!”

He held onto the other side of the rope and waited patiently, he also disregarded some of the items that had come out of the bag. Still, he kept the arrowheads, putting them back in the sack as they had come out...

Actions:

Actions of Dwarf... Wait for Snee to pass and send Will across then Firdle...