[PbP] INTO THE ODD - Horrific, Rules-Lite D&D

OminousLozenge

Kairon sighs and steps forward, shaking his head all the while. "Well, gents, nothing ventured..." He casts a wary glance around at the primitives, then puts his eye to the same tube Hansel used.

SUPERSUGA

Anyone touching the tube may click on the spoiler in my last post.

am0n

Tiris, noticing he now has a few less companions and just as many people pointing weapons at him, shrugs. He reaches out and touches the tube.

Grey Paladin

"Guess that's what you get for showing mercy. I always figured I'd die in a more glorious way." complains Alfonso as he complies. It is too late to run.

Bhow

After taking a deep breath, and releasing it noisily, Cenk steps over to follow his comrades.

"This isn't better. In fact," registering the number, variety and dismemberment levels of the bodies around the cavern, "It's worse. So let's try that again."

So saying, Cenk grabs hold of another glass tube and...

SUPERSUGA

Tugging on the glass tubes causes a bulb of light to appear at the tip just like in the last room.

Are you touching it?

Dex Dynamo

"Hmm, fascinating. It seems we've been drafted."

Hansel arms and loads his musket, before watching Cenk grab the glass tube.

Grey Paladin

"Or sacrificed. Still, it could be worse." Looking to Cenk, Alfonso comments "you might want to peek in the tubes before doing that. Perhaps the tubes show the place they lead to."

Dex Dynamo

Hansel chuckles. "Hey, half dozen of one, six of the other.

Alfonso's got a point. Being too hasty is what got us here, after all."

Bhow

"Noted."

Hearing the wise words and recognizing that, yes, things could be worse, Cenk peers down a neighboring tube, being careful to not yet touch the glowing bulb on the end of the stalk he's holding.

SUPERSUGA

Looking into the tube you can see the group of men waiting in the room with the hanging meat. They still have their weapons at the ready, watching the tubes. You can see a hunched figure in the foreground. Looks like one of them is watching you back.

We can lose the spoiler tags now. Everyone's in.

Dex Dynamo

"Sounds like this is ultimately some sort of a test for us. Beat that thing, and earn their trust, perhaps?

Either way, I rather feel I should apologize; I feel like it was my attempt at diplomacy that got us here."

Grey Paladin

"Of the variety of ways this could go down, this is one of the better. You stepped up when it would be a lot easier to shoot the prisoners and be on our way. That takes courage." the man says with what he hopes comes off as a reassuring smile.

Bhow

"Not necessary, Hansel. You done good. Barricade seems to be holding, for now. Should we put those shovels to work?"

Cenk explains his proposal to dig a pit in front of the barricade, time permitting, and line it with pointy things, then weaken the barricade from our side. Ideally, beastie charges through, falls in pit, becomes injured by pointy poky things, and we finish it off with musket fire from above. Huh? huhhhhh?

Grey Paladin

"Not a bad plan, provided that the creature does not breaks down the barricade while we set the snare. If we can spare some gunpowder, we can even add some fireworks to the mix."

Bhow

Grey Paladin wrote: »

"Not a bad plan, provided that the creature does not breaks down the barricade while we set the snare. "

"Or realize it's attacking a rock wall and decide to walk around to here," pointing to the small passageway in the eastern wall.

OminousLozenge

"I expect it would've come to that conclusion already, if it was inclined to do so. Let's get to digging. We should pile the dirt on our side of the pit, form something of a berm. Anybody without a shovel could perhaps round up any spears or similarly sharp sticks these unfortunates brought with them." Kairon waves a hand to indicate the dismembered corpses around the chamber, then thinks for a moment and scuffs the ground to see whether it's dirt or solid stone.

Dex Dynamo

"Spears it is!" Hansel scours the area for anything that could be sharpened.

SUPERSUGA

There are a few broken spears littered around the corpses. Only three are really useable.

The corpses themselves are quite nastily torn up. Not your regular battle wounds.

The ground itself is stone, so your shovels won't be adequate to dig through. You'd need picks, at the very least. No sign of any here.

am0n

"Creature to the north. Maybe we should head east and see if there is anything that way that benefits us while the barricade holds?"

Bhow

Cenk scowls as he drags a boot across the stone floor. "Could've worked," he laments under his breath. With a glance to reassure himself the barricade is solid, he follows Tiris toward the eastern tunnel.

OminousLozenge

"That's going to be a tight fit. I'll go first, since I haven't got a gun or bow."

SUPERSUGA

The tunnel is barely wide enough to squeeze into. The stone floor and walls of the round tunnel are covered with soft soil. You manage to crawl 10ft into the next opening.

This room is barely 6ft by 6ft. Half of the room is taken up by a stone oven, which hasn't been used recently enough to leave any embers or warmth. Peering inside, you can see the oven has a narrow chimney leading upward into the mountain as far as your light reaches.

There are five clay pots on top of the oven and a few chunks of broken pottery on the floor.

There's a tunnel, similar to the one you entered from, leading East. It winds too much for your light to show where it leads.

Back in the massacre room, the growling has stopped. You head the sound of something large scrabbling away in the opposite direction.

OminousLozenge

Kairon calls back, "Okay there's a bit of an open space, but it's tight! The tunnel continues onward. Maybe someone should come occupy this little kitchen-place so we can relay messages while I press onward."

With that, he continues moving forward through the eastward tunnel.

SUPERSUGA

Crawling further East, about 20ft, you reach a four-way junction.

There's a flicker of torchlight coming from the East. The South tunnel ends in a barricade, similar to in the massacre room. The North tunnel winds out of your torchlight.

You can hear something crawling in the North tunnel, out of your sight. Sounds like a large animal approaching.

am0n

Tiris holds back awaiting something from Kairon.

OminousLozenge

(Are all these tunnels small enough to barely accomodate a crawling human, or just the one Kairon is in?)

Kairon carefully sets the torch down just inside the north tunnel, or sticks the butt firmly in the ground if it's soft enough earth for that. He uses the glow from his arcana to backtrack and report on his findings.

SUPERSUGA

Anything I've described as a "tunnel" in this area is just big enough to crawl through. The surface itself is stone, with a thin layer of dirt on top. You can rest your torch down easily enough.

As Kairon starts to backtrack, he hears the unseen creature burst into action. In the flickering torchlight you catch a glimpse of it as it scrambles through the tunnel.

It's crammed into the tunnel even more tightly than you, a mess of awkwardly bended, bony limbs on a black-furred body. Its face is a lumpy mess topped with two tiny black eyes and an upturned snout. It pants and growls through dagger fangs as it scurries towards Kairon.

OminousLozenge

(Oshit. I was hoping it'd instinctively fear fire like most animals. Guys, I'll make a barricade with my corpse! )

SUPERSUGA

Continuing to flee?

If so, make a DEX Save.

OminousLozenge

On seeing the creature, Kairon redoubles his backtracking efforts.

Dex Save!: 1d20 6

SUPERSUGA

Kairon manages to crawl back to the massacre room, where the others are waiting. The creature is hot on his heels.

No more than a second after he clambers into the room, the creature bursts in behind him. It spreads its bony limbs out and opens it jaw, sounding out a croaking bark. This is a mouth that could quite comfortably throw you around like a dog with a rabbit.

am0n

"The hell did you bring with you!" Tiris shouts, pointing his Musket and firing.

Musket: 1d6+1 = 6 (5)

Bhow

Hearing the commotion, Cenk has his rifle raised as Kairon nearly flies into the room. The horrible creature's guttural bark is cut short by thunderous muskets.

Musket: 1d6+1 3

SUPERSUGA

The first two shots narrowly miss the hulking creature.

Made a dent in its HP, but not down to 0 yet.

Dex Dynamo

"Have at ye!"

Musket Damage: 1d6+1 5

SUPERSUGA

The shot grazes the creature's black-furred hide.

Still got HP left

Grey Paladin

Alfonso fires at one of the creature's legs, hoping to cripple it or at least slow it down before it reaches the party.

Just treat it as a normal attack if this is not a valid trickshot.

DEX Save: 10 (Success)
Musket damage: 4

SUPERSUGA

Generally, if you're putting the target at risk it's them who makes the Save, so in this case the Creature gets one. I'll use your roll, though, so it never hurts to throw a d20 roll in there if you're unsure

Alfonso's shot blasts apart one of the creature's hind claws. It barks out in pain. Slowed down, but far from immobilised.

am0n

Since I have absolutely no idea how many people are still participating in this, let me know when it's round 2. =P