Thursday, March 23, 2017
Last time on Tunnel Snakes Z
The newly updated roster of the Tunnel Snakes set out to apprehend 6 ghouls at Shelby Farms and the surrounding countryside, who were currently hunted by angry mobs from the South, sought by mysterious forces of Malazahn from tower Arnor to the North, and guided by semi-sentient spheres deployed to bring them to Arnor.
Quickly the group sprung out of the camp to take position at the sight of torchlight from the south, while Murrdyn set a hex upon Friar Skilera, sensing that he would not be able to resist. A suggestion was placed upon the Friar that he aid the Tunnel Snakes in capturing the ghouls, after which he was released from his bonds. Torthen transformed into a giant wolf spider, surprising Secutus, and set out for the bushes north of the river.
Torthen ran into some wolf traps in the bushes but managed to dodge their grasp. Secutus climbed the embankment to the south to keep a lookout on the hovels built there, but quickly saw movement in the corn fields and moved west to notify the team. Murrdyn had moved further west, and taken up a position inside a dilapidated wooden shack, using his owl Screechly as his eyes and ears to survey the field. The Friar, compelled by Murrdyn’s ensorcelment, approached the field to apprehend the suspected ghoul.
While all of this was happening South of the river, Hannya rushed up the North bank with Maghahn and the tentatively named Simone shortly behind, however they quickly noticed creatures lurking near the bank in the bushes and moved North to avoid them. Taking a circuitous path back to the bank of the river, they avoided that obstacle but found a wild boar soon charging from the west – apparently they had strayed too close. Hannya took the brunt of a blow from this porcine aggressor, while Maghahn quickly retaliated, dispatching it with a sneak attack from Hannya’s side after which Hannya immediately licked her lips at the thought of bacon for dinner. Simone came to the North bank and pounced across with feline agility, now finding herself just north of a small cemetery on the South side of the river.
Back to the South, Torthen moved along the cliffside abutting the river to avoid further traps, finding himself positioned to the North East of the cemetery, and spotted a complication – several grave robbers at work, and one skulking about the southern cemetery wall fearfully fingering the trigger on his crossbow – pointed at the Friar! The ne’erdowell unleashed a bolt at the Friar, which thankfully missed, and Torthen snuck up behind the robber in his spidery form, unleashing a brutal bite and incapacitating poison that set in within seconds, rendering the grave robber unconscious. One threat down, two to go. The Friar’s misfortune was only amplifying however, as from the field to his South a floating metal orb the size of a large fist launched itself right for his face!
The Friar recoiled in terror as this device latched itself to him, and began deploying a diabolical drill with which to pierce his skull, wounding him! Murrdyn began unleashing bolts of frost to defend the Friar as Eugene stayed close by, meanwhile Secutus and Torthen moved to the east of the corn field to apprehend the ghoul that was following the floating sphere. A few moments later and the sphere was frozen by the Wizard’s magic and the strugglings of the Friar who opened up its shell with a dagger strike, sparing the him a horrible death.
The ghoul emerged from the fields, revealing itself as a female adult, bouncing lightly and carrying a living baby. As the ghoul tried to flee, Secutus stopped the ghoul in its tracks with a precise but controlled gut-blow, a painful but non lethal strike, avoiding the baby. The ghoul tried to flee again as Torthen attempted to grapple with it and place a collar upon it, but it evaded him and prompted another strike from Secutus, nearly knocking the ghoul unconcious. Secutus and Torthen worked together to grapple the ghoul before it could attempt to flee again, successfully collaring it.
As the baby was removed from its grasp, the ghoul began to float! Torthen quickly spun a strand of silk, and tied it to the ghoul to keep it from going to the sky. Secutus snatched up the baby and located a man in the field who had been following the risen woman, the apparent father of the baby and widower of the ghoul that snatched the child up. Secutus handed the child to this man, and implored him to flee South away from danger, and said he would take care of the man’s departed wife. The man took this news and his child, and left with thanks.
On the North side of the river, Maghahn had skillfully disarmed a trap by the tried and true foot-first method, and repositioned and re-armed it for her own purposes. Joined by Hannya they spotted an armor clad ghoul making his way North by a shallow section in the river nearby. As the ghoul neared, it too was accompanied by a sphere which floated about, issuing instructions to the nearby ghoul. Maghahn with her eagle-eyes, sized up and sniped the target, debilitating it in a single arrow strike. The brute ghoul made its way across during this action, and managed to dodge the trap Maghahn had set but was knocked flat by a headbutt from horned Hannya slowing his escape.
A brutal showdown commenced, between the surly risen soldier who was spewing insults, an irate and bloodied Hannya, and Maghahn who had tried to hide in the shadows. The ghoul struck out with his longsword at Maghahn, but she dodged gracefully, and assisted Hannya with getting a collar onto the ghoul – but the collar defected! its magical crystals sapped, bursting into harmless crackle-pop sounds and flashes of light. The ghoul wasted no time in putting up a fight, while Maghahn pomel-struck him with her shortsword. Hannya tried once more to grapple and subdue the ghoul with their remaining collar – successfully capturing him. This time its magic stayed true, and the ghoul became compliant. Hannya escorted the now subservient ghoul to the east, nearing the Heroes where the Seer was located, hoping for word from her about forces from Malazan. Maghahn took the time to forcefully locate more traps to place for the defense of her section of the North bank.
To the South, mobs had begun to approach from all across the farmland and wilderness, and Simone spotted one of the diabolical spheres. This one led a small risen child, who kept batting at it playfully, trying to catch it as it ushered him along. A nearby dog startled at this play and began barking – Simone lept into action and struck at the sphere, causing it to fly upwards out of reach. The mob nearby however took notice and began investigating the area, leaving Simone little chance to catch the undead child who fled North toward the river.
A mob from the East encroached near Murrdyn who attempted to incapacitate them with a spell of Sleep, but only half their numbers fell to it causing them to re-awaken their comrades and buying precious little time. Secutus made his way through the field to a vantage point nearby, while Torthen climbed upon the huts to the East of the field to assist Murrdyn in dealing with the eastern angry mob. While the Friar had made headway going North to the Heroes with his charge, it all seemed to be getting very hairy as another ghoul was spotted far to the west, with another mob close behind, and a sudden burst of noise from the North, signaling the diversion of the Tunnel Snake’s employers to keep the forces of Malazan occupied.
Log Entry posted by Monky.
Party receives a +10xp boost for scenario.
Secutus receives a +15% xp boost for the scenario.
Mirrorworld 