Beneath the Worm Caves
April 25th
GM: Eviltables
Players: roguewithwhimsy and aether
Region: Worm caves south-west of the Keep
Setting Off in a Blizzard
Jorcal and Cassander head to keep, looking for the rumours of crab caves.
Met Geometer Lords troops on the way. To arrest Lord Eldritch. To question re strange writings.
We camp at the spaceship. Nothing happens except a foot of snow fall. We see seals along the way.
We come across an acrid smell, with insects. We go to the northwest. The reindeer are not willing to go ahead, so we leave Jerem with the sled. Large insects. There are holes that head into the hills. Eight-feet in diameter: like tunnels but do not look like a natural formation. Decaying meat is the strong smell from the tunnels. We head in.
There is left and right, with the smell coming from the left. We head right, where there is a dip. Ten minutes later, there is another fork. A sound comes from the new right side. There is a shaking feeling. But also the chiming of the bell to the left. There are signs of fracture and stress. We head towards the bell. There is an open cavern that expands past our torchlight. There is blinking light from the ceiling. The bell rings every ten seconds. It is a faint tone. We continue and see that a creature is making the sound by striking its shield. Others have sticks. Four-feet dog people, about twelve. They have primitive clothing and one has a robe and staff.
Battle with the Mole-Assassins
We wait and see that they are pulling up jellyfish from the water. We succeed and they fail the surprise roll. From the north, three mole-like creatures. They notice us. They are three feet tall. We go to the water to turn non-threatening. The mole creatures make a sign to stay quiet. They leap from the ledge and attack the kobolds. Two kobolds die. The rest shout. Some are pushed into the water. Others come directly towards us. The kobolds seem to speak a language like common. Cassander tries to make out like we are shepherding the kobolds. It does not go well for the kobolds by the water. One shrew pop out. We protect the fleeing kobolds.
We kill it but it gets its hits in, and its special ability is to make opponents flee in terror. Cassander runs with the kobolds and Jorcal and Lance follows to the north.
The Death of Sandwich
“Damn, that was close right?” Cassander says. The kobolds mourn Sandwich, their chief. Jelly, the kobold, introduces themself. They say that the tunnels were made by worms and that the flies feast on the body of the Dead One. Dead worm? Yes. The dead worm blocks the passage. The kobolds brought the flies to eat the body. And it takes time. Past the worm is a river, and then deeper, danger and apes.
Jorcal asks about fighting the shrew and dealing with worm. They offer a painting by Scratch, the painter. Sausage, the brave kobold, comes with us.
We take them at distance from slings. Then we close and Cassander kills them. We collect Sandwich’s body and magic staff and go back to the north. We offer to collect a shrew’s body, but leave the rest with them. Scratch opens the chest and pulls out an easel with claw marks across it. It is abstract. We complement Scratch on his work. Cassander looks forward to Scratch’s career. “Maybe I will make a big ball.”
We help dig a grave for Sandwich.
Cassander says “Sausage is brave.” They agree and elect Sausage as the new chieftain. I offer the staff to Sausage. “It is sausage shaped, but I cannot eat it. Sandwich never showed us how it was used.” We ask for the staff, and Sausage says that if he gives it to us, he will want a big chair.
On to the Worm
We head to the worm. Smells bad, and covered in flies. The edges look like snakeskin leather. Poking it covers Cassander with goop, but also makes a two-foot hole. Flies approach. Cassander runs back to the river (where the attack started) to wash out the goop. The river is cold and fast, but Cassander swims out. But now we notice that there are stairs beyond the river. There are plants and fungus.
Cassander is cold. We run to the kobolds to get fur but Cassander still gets frostbite. His tongue has lost sense of taste.
Risk of flies, risk of frostbite, or just go home? We brave the flies. I raise the staff and pray. But its powers are strange and non-human in origin, so it is almost contrary to Jorcal’s beliefs. Jorcal takes his war hammer and further opens the area. There is debris from furniture and the glint of coins. Lance moves at the front with the torch. There are partially digested bones, humanoid bones, and scattered, glinting coins. There is a big desk. An intact desk. The sound of shifting feet.
Cassander’s tongue begins to have a pins and needle pain. It flickers, as if sensing danger. I examine it, but can’t do anything. We get to the head of the worm. Four foot-long centipedes are at the head. They notice us, but are not aggressive yet. We try to ward them off with the fire, but still two attack. They attack with poison. We kill them in one hit.
The centipedes have chewed an opening. There are rods through the eyes of the worm. The passage opens up and there is a pathway to the east. There are stalagtites. A spiral staircase heads both up and down. There are kobold footprints and a puddle with white-looking flowers. There is murky water with pink fish, recognizable as salmon.
A Meeting with the Necromancer Fish Theorist
A stained red rug goes up but not down. We feel the carpet shift as we go up. We feel our footing slip as the carpet rolls upwards towards spikes. We reach a door. Jor, Fish Theorist are the words above the door. We hear nothing but feel wind. Cassander knocks. A clattering of pans. “I told you dogs to go away!” We say we are not dogs. We talk about the tower and the situation. An old man opens the door a crack. He says the fish are dead, even though they don’t look like it. They can come back. He asks if we want to know about necromancy.
Cassander offers his tongue for inspection. “Ah, the reversion.” He points to a blue spot on his shoulder. “Sometimes it talks to me.”
He does independent research because of the “prudes” at the tower. He says that there are slimes and jellies downstairs. Below that, is the ocean. The salmon are prized: don’t take them! Terror worms further, but should be avoided. Magical lichens, too. But no cure for the tongue. “If you do make it to the tower, tell Jarl that he owes me.” Say the word elbow and tap three times and the carpet will not cause trouble.
We go down the stairs. There is east and west. We see kobold footprints and hear dripping water and grinding stone. We follow the footprints to the east. A room to the south has stacked crates and smells like urine. The passageways are made of stone and it is relatively warm.
We pass a door and can hear goblin voices on the other side. “We must bring the head of the compact back. Escape is needed.
End of session. On the way back, I find a big chair from the worm to bring to sausage. Three fine gems worth 100gp. Jorcal gets another complication.
Rumors:
Gold & XP:
Shrew: minor discovery, 250
Scratch’s painting, 100
Three fine gems worth 300 total
450 gp
Special or Magic Items: Sandwich’s staff
Written by: Jorcal