They reappear in one corner of a large, open, metal-walled room. Feeling remarkably normal they look around and see...
Four large purple crystals are set up here surrounding an inky black pool. Nearby stand a tentacle-faced humanoid and a mass of flesh that appears to have many faces on and within its flowing substance. Arms and legs emerge at times, some still wrapped in brightly colored bits of cloth - a single entity that babbles maddeningly and constantly. Over the pool is a smoky black mass that drives an observer to the edge of madness. Vaporous forms swarm from the pool to this cloud, and it appears to be caged by a glowing purple energy wall that flows between the crystals.
The tentacle-faced creature steps toward them and unleashes a crushing blast of mental energy. Taking this as a sign of hostility, the heroes fire back - except for Uthal, who is still dazed by the effect of the mental blast. Kordan attempts to engage while the others blast away. The huge fleshy mass surges forward, babbling madness and slamming into the front line of heroes with teeth and arms and legs flailing. Althea locks them down with the grasp of the grave but the tentacle being manages to squirm out of reach, only to be pulled back to the fore by a magical compulsion from the bard. All the while the swirling black cloud from beyond crashes against the energy barrier.
Recovering, Uthal summons 'Dragon', his obsidian steed, and begins fighting while mounted. Through this early part of the battle the strange robed being works to keep the gibbering mound of flesh between him and his attackers, firing off mental blasts that damage and daze various members of the party. The barbarian mounted on his magical steed proves highly mobile, thwarting this to a degree. Eventually though the mass of flesh is hacked into ruin, destroying the horror and hopefully sending the souls of those trapped within its disturbing form to a better place. Once that happens the weird controller of this place is surrounded and cut down in short order, still firing off his unearthly mental attacks.
Realizing that to get to the Pool they must bring down the barrier and face the Thing from Beyond, the heroes smash one of the large crystals and the energy barrier winks out of existance. The party braces as the pulsating cloud swarms in on them and vaprourous tentacles lash out with painful results. A battle rages on the edge of the pool as Uthal and Kordan are locked down and hit with a storm of psychic damage and the rest of the team is battered by semisolid tentacles from another dimension. Things look uncertain for the heroes for a time but they gradually gain the momentum and blast the thing out of existance.
Uncertain of what else might be lurking in this horrid place, Uthal spurs Dragon, leaps into the middle of the pool and drives the great iron spear into the Pool of Twilight...
The shimmering runes winding up and down the shaft disappear in a blast of silvery light as the pool screams and the winds of limbo roar around the party. There is a massive explosion and darkness...
... and the heroes awaken on the shores of the lake still wondering what just happened but knowing they have ended the threat of the Pool for good.
Oh, and the moon is in a different phase from when they entered the pyramid the night before.
2 comments:
At least the squiddie just had me drool all over myself instead of run away then bash myself in the face with my weapon as hard as I could like the Banite did.
That still smarts... ^_^
That's right, those guys were pretty cool
- scribble scribble
Post a Comment