The Wilds - Death Pit, Round Two

This is a double-header update from The Wilds. The last turn involved a lot of maneuvering to little effect, but that all changed today.


Note: Maro's mirror image spell is still in effect. Durego's find traps has expired.

[Round One - ?? Initiative]

Maro prepares a spell!

Before anyone else can react, those in the hall take more fire from crossbow bolts and a javelin. None of these strike home.

Crossbow fire draws the attention of the fighters; Strom, Grendor and Raúguey all about face and start heading for the north-south hall. Durego moves over to the passage down, "I'll watch the secret tunnel! Ingvild, help me!" The thief joins the cleric [Rawon is nowhere near, so no chance to get the mirrior].

The hall turns into a tangle of people, armor and weapons as half the group tries to go one way, and half goes the other. By the time Maro's spell goes off, another of his mirror images is destroyed by a collision [one left]. When the dust settles, Durego and Ingvild are watching the secret hole, with Dagmarten near the entrance to the room and Rawon at the corner peering south, bow ready. Saurabh ducks into the alcove leading to the fire room and joins Mordikarr, who's keeping watch from the open doorway. Raúguey runs past the advancing Strom and Grendor and darts into the side passage leading to the death pit while Strom and Grendor hold the line just north of that hall. Maro moves up to support the fighters and Ohwatoo remains where he is, for now.

The advancing party sees no one as they advance, but part way down the hall there is a crude barricade of boulders in the hall. "Bet they were shooting from there," says Strom.

Grendor looks around the corner at Raúguey, "You going to spike that?"

Raúguey considers that, then grabs the handle, yanks the door wide and steps through, sword at the ready!

"Guess not," says Grendor, then, louder, "Raúguey's in the death pit!"

[Round Two - ?? Initiative]

With no clear sign of the enemy, Grendor and Strom push a little further down the hall, backed by Maro, Rawon and the more distant Ohwatoo. Those in the tree room still see nothing down the tunnel. Dagmarten calls updates to Durego and Ingvild from the entrance to the chamber. Mordikarr and Saurabh keep watch in the side hall near the fire room.

"Gods! This place..." Raúguey's voice fades as he moves forward a bit, then stops.

"Raúguey?!" calls Maro, he peers through the open door into the death pit, just in time to see the fighter fall, face down and unmoving. "Something's wrong with Raúguey!" He scans the room, but can't see anything other than the fighter with his infravision. Raúguey has fallen on his light stone. He hears some stealthy movements, though.

Grendor also hears secretive movement and a few metallic sounds, but from the south, not the death pit.

[Round Three - ??? Initiative]

"We need to get him out of there! Grendor, your rope, quickly!" Maro jitters impatiently while Grendor digs in his pack for rope. "Rawon, I'm going to tie off and go after him. Be ready to haul us out if needed."

Rawon eyes Maro and the fallen Raúguey, then calls out, "Mordikarr, come help with the rope!" Grendor and Strom start to back up so they can cover the activity, but there's no room. They remain where they are.

Mordikarr moves up to assist in the recovery effort [because it takes a village to pull one guy out of a room apparently]. "Keep watch here, Saurabh." The priest gives a shaky nod, eyes on the dark fire room doorway.

Hearing that Raúguey is down, Durego moves out of the tree room, "Watch here Ingvild, I'm going to see if Raúguey needs healing."

Ingvild nods and begins circling between the shaft down and the entry to the tree room, trying to keep watch on both. Dagmarten and Ohwatoo remain where they are at the north end of the hall.

Throughout this commotion, there is no sight or sound of the enemy. "It's quiet," mutters Ohwatoo.

"Too quiet," adds Dagmarten.

[Round Four - ??? Initiative]

Maro uncoils some of the rope and ties it around his waist, leaving a long tail on his knot. He tosses the bulk of the coil to Mordikarr and then ties a loop in the other end. "I'll loop this around Raúguey. Pull me out if I go down!" Mordikarr and Rawon try to uncoil the rope as Maro takes a deep breath and crosses the vast gap between the door and Raúguey, almost 10 feet! When he gets there, he grabs the sword of bees, piles it on the downed fighter's back, and loops the rope around his feet. The others keep watch and wait to see what happens.

What happens is this: crossbow bolts streak out of the darkness to the south! Several strike home [4 damage Maro, 2 Raúguey, the last image gone]. Maro spots the dim outlines of kobolds on the south balcony around the death pit. "I've a spell for you," he thinks.

[Round Five - ??? Initiative]

Maro releases his held breath and begins to cast a spell! [it doesn't smell that bad in here.]

A sudden shout from Saurabh alerts the others to a new threat. Ohwatoo and Dagmarten look into the hall just in time to see a giant lizard streak into the hall and launch itself at Saurabh! The priest falls under the assault. [5 damage].

As Maro incants his spell, the kobolds move away, heading out the south doorway. But that's not the problem. No, the problem is the sudden movement he sees to his right! A slithering form flows around the edge of the death pit. At first he thinks it must be another giant lizard, but as it closes it rears, revealing a humanoid torso with many arms, arms with swords! It swings again and again. The blows inflict severe damage and ruin Maro's spell. [18 damage]. Maro falls before the powerful onslaught!

"Maro is down! PULL!" Mordikarr and Rawon start heaving on the rope, pulling the downed elf and Raúguey out of the room.

The fallen come sliding out of the room, and Mordikar slams the door shut before the creature within can react.

Up the hall, Durego, Ohwatoo, Ingvild and Dagmarten respond to the sudden appearance of the giant lizard. Ohwatoo hurls a dart and Dagmarten fires a sling stone at the beast. [1 damage from a glancing dart hit] Ingvild leaves the tree room and moves to support the others. Durego raises his shield and steps in front of his unarmored allies but stops at the doorway. "There's another one in there!"

Rawon gives Raúguey a quick once over, and he seems uninjured, but Maro is not so lucky. The gaping wounds inflicted by the serpentine creature's sword blows were too much for the elf, and he's breathed his last breath.

Wounds:

Dagmarten 1
Maro 23 [-8 HP, Maro dies]
Raúguey 7
Saurabh 10 [0 HP]

Note that we use the following house rule for hit points: Characters are unconscious at 0 hit points and dead at minus one-half their constitution score (rounded down). Maro *almost* squeaked by. Almost.

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