Session 10
26 August 1999, 6:30pm
Attended by: Steve, Ken, Jason, Merwin, Scott, Chris
StoryGuide: Ken
Logged by: Chris
Game
From last time: Iseus' spell exceeds his intentions; all the magi are knocked off their feet as a blinding stream of sunlight pours into the resulting hole. Immediately the air is filled with debris and dust--and ants. Combat ensues. The ants fall slowly, but nevertheless manage to foil Marcus' and Purros' initial spellcasting efforts. Marcus manages to evoke a Wizard's Sidestep upon himself just as the group is overwhelmed by the 2 or 3 hundred (out of the thousands) ants with the presence of mind to go after them.
The ants hold their prisoners none too gently as they attempt to sort out what has happened. "It's not my fault!" Iseus wails. The ants drag the magi into an undamaged portion of the anthill, into a large audience chamber. (Some of the ants have a fine old time trying to pin down Marcus' shifting image.) "You! Who are you, who sent you to wreak such destruction upon my city?" the king of these ants bellows at the magi pinned on the floor before him by his warriors. Purros' bravado pleases the king not; Kurpat's more placating manner likewise meets with little approval. The king rails against Flotsam when Kurpat reveals that the group had traveled through the tunnel from that kingdom. The king accuses the magi of being in league with the Flotsamites; as if to prove his point, right at that moment his warriors drag in the lone surviving Flotsam soldier.
The king grumbles about having to request new Guardians from the Weaver of Webs. As he ponders a suitable means of execution for the perpetrators of this heinous crime. "We shall let the Weaver decide--you shall meet the Weaver! Ha ha ha ha!" The king and his soldiers depart.
A ritual (with a decidedly Infernal bouquet!) begins. Claudius mumbles in the back row; suddenly he is lying upon the throne! His erstwhile captors charge forward in pursuit, but as they cross the circle of the ritual, they burst into flames, shrieking as the flames consume them--they die more slowly than one would expect judging from the fierceness of the fire. Claudius speaks: "The Ant King on six legs; the Man King on two!" He rises. Two of the peon ants begin arguing over the number of Claudius' legs. A bolt of lightning springs out of nowhere (or, to be more precise, out of Aurelia), but has no effect upon the circle, the flames of which consume its energy. Claudius hurls a rock at one of the Loremaster ants (those casting the ritual); it strikes true, but unfortunately (for the magi) has little effect. Claudius repeats his attack, with somewhat more success; an ant staggers momentarily, and the Loremasters must struggle to retain control over their infernal magic. Marcus attempts to strike another with a Crystal Dart, but misses; the dart sparks against the dome and flames out. Claudius keeps pelting the Loremasters with stones, who gesture faster. Claudius switches from stones to a dagger, embedding it in the chitin of one of the Loremasters.
Something begins to manifest. A gaping maw forms, and chews up the stricken ant. A second Loremaster is taken. The last remaining Loremaster strives frantically to hold the ritual together, calling a commanding "NI!! NI!!" The Something's maw bows to it, but the dome flickers, riddled with black flames. It explodes, inflicting damage all around (except Kurpat...). In a booming voice, Kurpat calls out "Perdo Terram" and opens a pit--directly underneath himself. He falls in, successfully evading his captor ants. Three ants fall into the pit as well. Kurpat then inflicts the Agony of the Beast upon the ants in the pit with him, but is jumped by two of the ants (one of which leaps in from the edge of the pit--the only one of the four who hadn't fallen in initially); two of the ants howl in agony, while two scream in rage.
As the magi begin to struggle, the Loremaster speaks to his maw-like minions "Kill them all!" "YESSS MASSSTER" is the response. Kurpat battles ants in a pit; one mindless in pain slays one of his comrades, but Kurpat sustains a grievous wound. One of the minions moves to the ants on Marcus and begins feasting; the other ants flee; Marcus cowers in terror. The other minion moves in on Aurelia and her captors, one of whom becomes its meal while the others flee. Aurelia, unlike Marcus, does not cower but rises and casts a spell. She blasts two of the ants holding Iseus with lightning; he struggles free and rises.
Kurpat recalls the better part of valor and attempts to hie himself from out the pit. Dribbling blood and guts (both his own and the ants') he leaps from the pit. Iseus closes on the Loremaster, attempting to steer clear of the minion in his path. Unfortunately he draws its attention, and it moves in his direction. Another bolt obliterates one of Purros' guards and flattens the rest--on top of him. Iseus attempts to blast the minion with a mighty spray of water, but misses his target. It continues to close. Kurpat attempts to drive one of the minions back to its Eternal Oblivion, with better success--the minion howls and writhes, incidentally knocking Marcus senseless with a massive blow. Aurelia shatters the minion closing on Claudius with lightning--resulting in numerous mini-minions who fall to the floor and start re-coalescing. [SG plaintively complains "it's NOT Terminator 2!"] The Loremaster continues his ritualistic gesturing; Iseus begins to close on him with his gout of water. The other minion, now angered, moves toward its tormentor, who invokes the aid of God Almighty and reiterates his spell. In a glow of soothing light, the minion vanishes!
Iseus squares off against the Loremaster, who unleashes the force of his ritualistic magic upon Aurelia. She falls to the cavern floor, screaming, as flames consume her. Iseus hurls his spell at the Loremaster, but misses. Again. Yet another attempt is finally successful; the Loremaster staggers.
Kurpat hunts down the minion-bits, taking them out one by one; Iseus keeps his fountain concentrated upon the Loremaster, who is eventually battered unconscious and drowns. Purros creates a Ward against Demons, completing his spell just as there is no longer a pressing need for such. Claudius moves to Marcus and attempts to secure him against death's predations. His efforts succeed, and Marcus is stable--though comatose--for the nonce. Marcus is not much better off, but is still conscious. Aurelia, however, is dead. Claudius addresses Kurpat: "Her sigil to Helen, yes?" Kurpat would prefer to bear away all of Aurelia's remains. Purros summons an Unseen Porter to bear her corpse. Iseus removes her sigil--destroying her remaining hand in the process (the other hand having fallen off when the corpse was lifted). Kurpat finally succumbs to his injuries, slumping unconscious to the floor.
Updated on 3 September 1999
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