The disembodied hands scramble and surround the party, radiating a cold, quiet malevolence. Soon, they begin to swarm, climbing up legs, pulling, pinching, crushing. Cuppies is overwhelmed by five hands. He murmurs a word and raises his staff, and suddenly the air wavers for just a moment and a massive CRACK is heard, sending a sonic boom against the eastern wall. The thunderwave sends hands flying through the air, back and away from the party. Alexander stabs at one of three hands attacking him, glancing at Cuppies. He frowns for a moment, raises his own hand, and the air waivers for a second time. A massive CRACK can be heard again, as the Thunderwave blasts the hands facing him. The party stares at the warlord in surprise. “I think I’m getting the hang of that!”
The Bad:
The party found themselves in a columned hall with 64 columns lined up. The room was huge, spanning hundreds of feet wide and up. Visibility was limited in the pitch darkness that penetrated all corners of the room. “Hey,” murmured Mara. “Did you just see something? I thought I saw something moving.” The party agreed to move across the room along the western wall, keeping their backs protected. As Cuppies led the party, a robed skeletal, insubstantial apparition appeared before him wielding a huge scythe. The door they entered through suddenly swung shut with a loud boom. And the locking mechanism could be heard engaging.
Rudy ran recklessly to the other end of the room where the exit door could be found. There was no handle. There was no keyhole. It wouldn’t budge.
“Uh. Hey guys? We’re gonna have a problem here. We’re trapped!”
The Ugly:
It was an ancient crypt. Perhaps thousands of years old. Writing from long dead civilizations filled the walls, and four sarcophogi lined each wall of the room. In the center of the room was a circular grate that led to darkness. “Oh great. Coffins,” muttered Ekerrath. As he advanced, a click could suddenly be heard, and the lids on all four sprung open. Four massive bandage-wrapped creatures climbed out and began to advance. At the same time, a foul, viscous fluid began leaking from the sarcophagi and
Pouring into the room.
“Everybody back. These things are mindless. If we position in the hallway and make them come to us, we can hew them down without a problem,” ordered Ekerrath. Like finely honed parts of a clock, the party members coordinated themselves and moved into the hally in a strategic retreat. Except for Alexander, who, under the influence of the sword, was compelled to shout in defiance and charge into battle, heedless of the outcome. In moments it was the warlord on one end of the room, the rest of the part on the other.
“Oh hell,” muttered Ekerrath.
Player Quotes:
(1) The halls of the ancient underground cavern flicker with a dull red and orange light from the party’s campfire. They had been in this labyrinth for a day and a half, and faced unspeakable creatures, but still found themselves united in the simple camraderies of sharing a meal by the fire.
Alexander: So, Half Pint. What’s your story? Where did you live back on the island?
Rudy: “I came from a simple upbringing. We were a small village – all of us Halflings, you know.”
Entire party:
(2) Josh: The puzzle on the door glows with various colors and forms in the shape of a cube. It appears deeply complex and requires a knowledge of three dimensional geometry.
Cuppies: I’ve solved the puzzle. Here.
Alexander: Wow. They taught you some good stuff at mage school. They did pretty good teaching you!
(later)
Josh: The runes seem arcane in origin. Perhaps they can be read.
(party looks to the resident wizard, who rolls terribly – a 3)
Cuppies: I know nothing of these runes.
Alexander: Where exactly did you go to mage school, Cuppies? Were you part of the “No Mage Left Behind” program on the island?
(3) Josh: You hear the click and clatter of hundres of nails tapping eclecticly on the hard rock surface. Suddenly, hordes of disembodied hands burst through the holes in the walls, surrounding you and attacking you! Fould necromantic creations, the hands move of their own volition, without masters.
Alexander: Uh. Can we get a hand here?
Ekerrath: Hey! That one’s giving you the finger!
Rudy: We need a hand up, not a hand out.
Cuppies: Talk to the palm.
(4) Josh: I was at work this week and Liz was sitting on my lap.
Bob: Liz is a coworker..?
Josh: She’s my daughter, Bob! My daughter! For goodness’ sake, my wife is right there.
Amy: Hey, I’m right here, Bob!
Bob: Oh! Right. Daughter. Gotchya.
(5) Ekerath: I attack the undead zombie on the left, ,and roll a….
(the die rolls off the table, onto the floor and touches Amy’s leg, where it stops)
Amy: It’s over here.
Ekerrath: Hey! You touched it! You touched the die! I don’t know what I originally rolled now.
Amy: Sorry. It was a 19.
Ekerrath: Nice!
Josh: I’m taking her to the casino now. So strangers can touch her foot for luck. We’re going to make a fortune.
(6) Josh: You come to an ancient door. Dust cakes the doorknob, and it appears that it hasn’t been touched in a very long time.
Mara: Rudy should check for traps.
Rudy: Alright. I check for traps on the door. I look, listen, and feel the door. I feel like I’m teaching CPR right now.
(7) Josh: You’re a wizard, work some magic.
Jeff: Hey – there’s no more Guiness over here!
Bob: Watch Cuppies’ brilliant arcane prestigitation as he makes all the Guiness in the house… disappear.
(8) Josh: The zombies advance on you, threatening.
Alexander: How about you invoke some of your God’s holy might and turn these undead over here, Leenie?
Leenie: They’re not undead. Their origin is Aberrant, from a different plane of existence.
Mike: They’re not aberrant. They’re Averil Lavine.
(9) Josh: The spectral reaper stands thirty feet south of you, phasing in and out of insubstantiality.
Rudy: Okay. I’m following Alexander’s plan. I’ll move to here and wait until the reaper is flanked. That’s when Alexander will move up to it. Then I’ll have combat advantage. I’ll ready an action to attack once I get combat advantage.
Josh: You move into the position. The next turn is the reaper’s turn. It phases out and moves away from you. Your readied action is lost.
Rudy: I just lost my turn to attack. Oh great. I rely on my tactical warlord for tactics and this is what happens to me. I lose my turn.
Ekerrath: But he’s not a tactical warlord right now. He’s got an evil magical sword. He’s thinking with his sword right now, not with his head!
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