The Wilds - Demise?

It's a terrible thing when good parties go bad...


Start Date: April 1, late afternoon
Start Status: Grinder
Start Location: Deathpool Maze

The Turn

[Round Twelve - Party Initiative]

The party explodes into incoherent action!

Ingvild grabs his continual light stone and tosses it down the hall, hoping to illuminate whatever other foes may lurk in that direction, then digs into his belt pouch to find his potion of invisibility. Durego desperately pulls out a flask of holy water and tosses it at the serpent thing in the hall, hoping it will have some effect. The creature appears to be wet. Sorely wounded Rawon dashes off and starts digging into Raúguey's pack and pouches, looking for oil and/or his invisibility potion. Ohwatoo pulls on the Mask of Lorkan and starts reading the first spell on the scroll (I wonder which it will be?) Mordikarr also retreats from the serpent thing and directs Suren to attack the creature's snaky tail. Dagmarten, left by himself in front of the deadly creature, heads for the relative safety of lizard run, there's no way *he's* fighting that thing (at least not for long).

Ohwatoo completes his reading of the scroll, and a ghostly hand grasps the serpent creature, holding it in place!

Mordikarr's retreating blow misses, as does Suren's bite attack. In lizard run, Strom and Grendor both attack the nearest lizard, and Strom scores a direct hit [8 damage].

The second serpent thing gazes at Ingvild, and the thief finds himself filled with terror! Forgetting whatever he was going to do with whatever he pulled from his pouch he turns and flees, The first serpent thing raises itself higher and attacks the ghostly hand with all its many arms, shredding the ghostly construct. It also lashes the fleeing thief but misses.

The lizard, angered by Strom's attack claws and bites at the doughty dwarf, but can't penetrate his armor.

[Round Thirteen - Foe Initiative]

Serpent thing one advances into the tree room, slashing at the nearest foes, Ohwatoo and Rawon and lashing at Suren with its tail as it moves. It strikes Ohwatoo once and Rawon twice with its swords, and flicks Suren into the wall [3, 15 and 9 damage, respectively]. Rawon breathes a final, alcohol-laden breath, and dies. Suren squeaks as she hits the wall and goes still.

The second creature advances to the lizard run door and attacks the nearest party members with many claws (it appears to be unarmed). Dagmarten falls to the ground, and Durego staggers under the assault [6 and 7 damage, respectively]. The lizard attacks Strom again, scoring a minor claw hit [1 damage]

The party members still capable of action try to fight back. Ohwatoo backs away, firing his magic missile wand, [3 damage] and Mordikarr throws a tomahawk at the creature, but misses. Grendor and Strom press the lizard and Grendor finally finishes it off, but another lurks just behind it. Durego scores a hit against his scaly foe [3 damage], and thinks to himself, "At least it's not a kobold."

[Round Fourteen - Party Initiative]

"Get out of here!" shouts Ohwatoo, and Grendor and Strom oblige, pushing into the fire room before the last lizard (they hope) can block the door. Durego backs up, and Ohwatoo tries to break away from the deadly foe in front of him and follow. Mordikarr follows the rush, stabbing at the enemy with his spear as he passes. The creatures give no quarter and pursue those fleeing.

Mordikarr hits the first creature [9 damage], and Strom and Grendor both do damage to the third lizard [24 total - where were these rolls in round four or five?], but Durego can't hit the second serpent thing.

The first creature chases Ohwatoo and Mordikarr into the hall and attacks them both, inflicting serious wounds [4 and 14 respectively]. The second slashes at Durego with its claws again, scoring several hits [8 damage]. Both Moridkarr and Durego fall. The creature in the hall hisses a command in the twisted speech of the foul folk: "Attack now!"

Final Status:

Dagmarten - 7 damage [unconscious]
Durego - 21 damage [unconcious]
Grendor - 9 damage
Ingvild - 1 damage [feared]
Maro - dead
Mordikarr - dead
Ohwatoo - 9 damage
Raúguey - 7 damage [held]
Rawon - dead
Saurabh - dead
Strom - 7 damage

Postscript:

It's a brief and bloody end for the rest of the party. Ohwatoo is cut down as he tries to get past the serpent horrors, and escape, and the ensorcelled Ingvild finds himself surrounded by taunting, cackling kobolds as he tries to flee. They shoot and poke and prod with crossbow, sword and spear, eventually bringing down the thief.

Grendor and Strom take off, but all too soon the serpent creatures catch up. The pair manages to slay one of the beasts, but eventually the other cuts down Strom. Grendor refuses to leave his friend so long as the dwarf draws breath; he fights to the last standing over the unconscious Strom.

Raúguey can only watch in helpless fascination as the remaining serpent creature returns to examine the remains of the party, shooing off the kobolds that are already looting the bodies. The creature hisses something in the foul tongue of all things evil and then tears his throat out with a clawed hand.

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