Author Topic: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story  (Read 7690 times)

Offline SolEiji

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You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« on: March 14, 2015, 01:54:22 AM »
Ptembridge was alone.

The surroundings were both familiar and alien.  It wasn't just the darkness or the freaky and possibly still living decorations, the surroundings were wrong.  From his spot he could see down the hall where Axejack once stood.  Down there, no wall of clear slime webbing existed.  The place did seem to distort off towards the right where that endless tunnel used to be.  On the other side there there had been a window there was still a window, but it now lead to a grayscale version of the cosmic maelstrom you spotted outside in the real world.

There was that door in the hall here, which was locked there you were.  Rather than wood, this door seemed to have been designed by Gieger, composed of glossy black chitin grown in the shape of a door.  It looks unfriendly.

There was the way back you came, which seemed a much longer path than you remembered before you took a turn around the bend.  And just south of you, the staircase that was there before.  However this time the stairs were steep, more short cliffs which you'd have to jump down or climb up one step at a time.  It sunk down deep past a haze which prevented you from seeing what was on the bottom floor.

There is a small crack in the wall to the east of where you were.  You don't remember that crack being there previously.  Great, what a time to be lost, and GPS hasn't been invented yet.

Meanwhile in another dimension...
Mudada.

Offline Frogman55

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2015, 09:55:08 AM »
With no idea which way is best, Ptem opts to investigate the crack in the wall. After all, the one bit of topology that didn't match the old world aught to be important.

I rolled a 33 on perception to look/listen in the crack - will move through immediately if no threat is detected, assuming I fit. I'm not sure how small you mean when you say small, so I also rolled escape artist (33). If it's too small to move through at all, he's just gonna peek and investigate.

Offline SolEiji

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2015, 05:19:16 PM »
Ptembridge moved forth, the chains jingling slightly from his footsteps and possibly the distant vibrations of some unknown horror lurking here.  But... as far as Ptembridge could tell there wasn't another soul here.  He went against the crack in the wall which seemed to distort and bulge as he approached until it was a bigger, but still too small to pass through, crack.  He could make out another hallway there which he had not recognized.  The design made little sense, with doors at off-angles and a stairway which seemed to intersect the hall mid-way, passing through the roof and wall.  At the end, there was a closed door with a small window, and a dull white glow coming from it.  The ground of this hallway was covered in a bed of what could have been living sand, or wingless gnats, as it was granular and moving on its own.

You could get through here if you made the hole a little bigger.  Too bad Axejack isn't here, he could use Dwarven Disable Device until you had a proper door.
Mudada.

Offline Frogman55

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2015, 08:45:11 PM »
Lost, and not knowing where to go, Ptem fell back on the old truism that your path doesn't matter if you don't know your destination. Thus, picking his through intersections at random he moved out into the dark and weird maze. His only concession to normality was to try and take the right hand turning, when the opportunity presented itself to make a choice. He did concentrate on keeping his footfalls quiet, and not blundering wildly around corners.

He simply started moving in the hopes of finding aid, direction, or some recognizable clue indicating a worthwhile destination.

Taking 10 on both perception and stealth while moving through, for a 25 and 26, respectively. If there's anything that a Knowledge (Religion) check would help with, let me know. In fact, go ahead and roll it for me, in the interests of speed - my bonus is a +10.

And we'll say I'm following the path that would have held the webbing in the other world. Also, like I said - right side turnings unless he recognizes that he's in a loop. He's also going to prefer open hallways to any closed door. Although, oddly, he will opt to explore any small open portal over a hallway (like cracks, crevices, and similar).

Sol, with that in mind, feel free to fast forward to something interesting, rather than navigate us intersection by intersection with a 12hr turnaround.  ;)


« Last Edit: March 19, 2015, 08:48:33 PM by Frogman55 »

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2015, 08:59:41 PM »
Inevitably, it is sadly apparent that the birdman is not alone, and never really was. Noises that could have been dismissed as simply part of the atmosphere resolve into comprehensible sounds; a muted cacophony of evil from what appears to be simply a patch of ceiling skittering along. Until, of course, the ceiling decided to speak in a deep bass voice.

"You are appear to be lost, newcomer. It is, of course, only to be expected  in this semi-real overlay upon the house proper, but heading constantly in random directions is more likely to lead you to Mr. Scissors than anywhere pleasant. If you like, I could guide you from the basement? This avenue is hardly pleasant."

It appears to be a spider talking to him.

Offline Frogman55

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #5 on: March 19, 2015, 10:51:03 PM »
"Lead on then, as any route is as good as any route. And an ambush set by a lying guide no different than an ambush set by strangers." Ptem seems quite comfortable to let this spider thing lead the way, but nevertheless keeps some distance.

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2015, 10:55:17 PM »
"What reason would I have to ambush you? The house is utterly absent of intellectual company; someone simply wishing to stay and talk in place is a valuable commodity. Who else do I have to converse with? Mr. Scissors and his refusal to simply use the normal stairs in favour of this fragment of reality? The strangely invisible being that has been around in recent times? Neither seem overly inclined to alleviate my boredom," the spider questioned, navigating the odd hallways through familiar knowledge gained from living in the same place as them.

The spider's path, though firm and known, is rather more... twisted than the hallways Ptembridge had been sticking to. One avenue even chose to briefly reverse gravity, whilst geometry itself seemed to shudder as the palm-sized pest dealt with the tricky business of navigating a series of forks that all seemed to head 'left'. Though the environment sometimes seemed unpleasantly fleshy, it was at least quiet... save for the strange sounds the spider let out.

(click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: March 19, 2015, 10:59:35 PM by Raineh Daze »

Offline SolEiji

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2015, 11:40:53 PM »
Ptembridge had discovered life in this dark and dreadful place, and the questionable assistance offered to lead ahead, a haunting murmur following it and at least giving you an auditory clue on which way to go in case you lost sight of the entity.  The air became musty and the floors bruised under your footsteps as a corridor breathed softly upon your arrival.  Another left, certainly through a hall you just passed.  As you drive onward, your passive perception will notice that at points in the hallway there was scars carved in the meat of some of the rooms.  Strange, eldritch symbols which seem all too familiar...  1  Your guide will encourage you not to linger here to study it though, these rooms are known to move on their own.  No sooner have you been told that do you realize that the way back isn't there anymore, now replaced by a sheer cliff which seems to drop down forever.

Your travels, which seemed to draw on far too long, bring you to a large unworked stone room with several ornate but indescribable statues within, something like snakes, or trees, or trees composed of snakes.  They wormed along the surface of the cave until they met the wall and formed a door frame, and a crudely rectangular surface which reflected no light, completely black to even your darkvision.  This familiar surface was recognizable as something like the black gate you used to travel here.  The spider can slip through at its leisure, it's time to take the plunge yourself.

As you pass through a darkness even your darkvision cannot pierce, you feel that strange sense of displacement you got when entering this dreadful dimension in the first place.  Your optics grew bright briefly as a shaft of light pierced the dark ahead, and you realized you were in something of a closet, the blinds letting in a dim red hue not unlike that of a darkroom.  The spider could slip through the blinds, but Ptembridge will be able to open the door and reveal his location.

You enter a room much unlike any room you have seen in this mansion.  At one point it may have been some grand dining hall, or perhaps some sort of recreational room where the amenities of a pool hall or bar may have once been.  These objects, if they ever existed, they have been torn out and replaced by a labyrinth of makeshift rooms had been constructed out of cloth barriers, and strange magical and alchemical devices lined the walls and tables within, lights pulsing from the various magical stonework embedded as controls for these objects.  Among them were several glassy coffins whose contents were obscured by a frosted glass sheathe over them.  Some of these coffins lay broken or opened, with some foul smelling liquid and what may be blood splattered around the edges.  More than one of the smaller ones apparently contained entire human arms in various states of decay, and with medical equipment sticking from their unmoving bodies.  There are several of these tanks here, and at least one which is currently empty and apparently still functional.

And the whole place smelled like blood.

There were shelves in one corner, and a table with medical and alchemical supplies in another.  That transparent fungus crisscrossed the walls here too, in great amounts and especially in bulk over the one door you see out of here, blocking it completely.  That bubbling mass was moving as if it was breathing.  The only other ways out appeared to have been small rat holes which have been chewed through the wall.  The skittering of rats could be heard in the distance.

Where are you?

(click to show/hide)
Mudada.

Offline Frogman55

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2015, 09:31:32 AM »
Ptem simply followed along quietly, still watching as he moved, still entering the strange new chambers without hesitation...

Got a 19

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #9 on: March 20, 2015, 09:46:16 AM »
"Welcome to the laboratory. Sadly, it is in a terrible state of decay and released experiments, and I lack the arms to put it back to the condition in which the original owner left it. As the rats once kept here tend not to get on with Mr. Scissors, this place is safe compared to the majority of the house. Unless you upset the rats, which might be rather too easy. They have been unfortunately more stupid as of late..." the spider said, gesturing oddly with one leg at the gore-filled expanse. "What brings a traveller like you here?"

Offline SolEiji

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #10 on: March 20, 2015, 12:57:15 PM »
Quote from: You had a dream...
Your dream... puzzling... 
You're back in Taphos before the fall... 
The sun... over the sandstone... 
In this room... a mysterious artifact before you...

Before you stood a gate of black basalt.  It is inscribed with many symbols which, for the life of you, you cannot seem to focus on or make out. 

You know the many disc shaped sigils rotate and move, activating some strange device within...

...you remember now...

(click to show/hide)

You saw those symbols before, in your dream, on the door!

Specifically, you saw the second one carved on the walls in the shadow realm.  There was no doubt about that, and... and...

And frankly you have no idea what that implies.

It's just you and the spider, for now.  Make do with what you have, you never know when you'll run out of time.
Mudada.

Offline Frogman55

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2015, 11:02:07 PM »
"I came to get a friend. Or at least a traveling companion. And I think I came to kill your Mr. Scissors. If any of that is even possible.

In the greater scheme of things, I merely want to move deeper into the Shade. It appears I am successful at that, at least. "

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #12 on: March 25, 2015, 06:49:11 PM »
"Well, I can't say that I saw your friend, but killing Mr. Scissors is certainly an admirable goal! He has never been much of a bother to me personally, but the visitors to this house... so few guests out this way, and to get rid of the few able pairs of hands that might be able to put the place to rights again is a terrible idea. I would be quite happy to help you in getting rid of Mr. Scissors, but are you sure that you're strong enough to do it? Your companion got themselves quite lost."

Offline Frogman55

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #13 on: March 26, 2015, 09:50:57 AM »
"There were rat... things. Lots of them, and distracting too. To be honest, I'm not entirely certain that the others even noticed your Mr. Scissors. As to strength... well... he attacked us once, and will likely attack us again. I'd rather it happen on my terms than his. Besides, lots of folk are plenty strong enough to cause problems from ambush, but can't deal with a stand-up fight. If you can bring me to him, and especially if we can find him away from any distractions, I think we could do something interesting."

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #14 on: March 26, 2015, 11:00:28 AM »
The spider looked thoughtful for a second, then the strange noise surrounding it became rather more... lively, "You brought other friends with you, you say? I think that we had better find them if they've upset the rats and their new friend as well as attracted the interest of Mr. Scissors. Not that it's terribly hard to gain his attention; hands are more than enough to be his object of interest."

And, once again, the spider was leading the way through the lab, presumably towards somewhere that would go in an upwards direction.

Offline Frogman55

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #15 on: March 26, 2015, 11:40:49 AM »
"Well, brought in a loose sense of the world. They're mostly still back in ... well here. But not here. I'm not sure how better to explain it. I walked through a portal and came to a place where this is all the same but different. Scissors can obviously pass back and forth, though I can only manage it when I follow on his heels. He did have one of my friends, taken and held. Would the thing leave him alive for any amount of time?"

Offline SolEiji

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #16 on: March 26, 2015, 12:06:18 PM »
As Ptembridge and the spider spoke of matters of allies and others, the scratching behind the walls grew louder, slowly rising over the faint hiss of gas and dripping of piping.  He would pass one active tube which still seems to be keeping something intact inside, a shadowy creature breathing within its frosted glaze.  Ptembridge and the spider were moving through this disused laboratory towards the only door.  However, the door was currently blocked by an active and pulsating blob og silvery transparent ooze, the very same clear fungus which criss-crossed the walls in places like a web.  This was a knot of the substance and it was "breathing".  For the spider, exit was easy, through shadow, vent, or rat hole, but how will Ptembridge leave this place?

Skrit skrit... a small rat with a crude eyepatch made of cloth wrapped around a ridge of miniature fingers acting as a ridged eyebrow slipped through one of the ratholes, and immediately stopped dead in its tracks at seeing the avian headed intruder.  "Bu'lder proteck, entroder!  Back!  Back!  Tell Dross!  Lunk gard!" it cried in apparent warning to others which were right behind him.  Pushing itself on two legs like a man, it pulled a jagged rod of metal strapped to its side and wielded it as some makeshift weapon, running to the edge of a table for cover from Ptembridge.  Its uncertain if it has spotted or heard the spider in its rush.

"Yoo!  Yoo!  No run!  No be here, this is ratts!  This all ratts!"
« Last Edit: March 27, 2015, 10:19:37 PM by SolEiji »
Mudada.

Offline Frogman55

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #17 on: April 01, 2015, 10:18:32 AM »
"So... I'm not sure. Do you want me to leave or not?"

Offline SolEiji

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #18 on: April 01, 2015, 09:03:09 PM »
Ptembridge seemed unsurprised at the bipedal spear-wielding rodent or its uncanny ability to vocalize.  The eyepatch wearing rat made a sound which might have been a growl, were it not coming from something so small, and it waved the pointy end of his stick in Ptembridge's general direction.

This human was both noisy and strange.  Ah that's right, that dreadful noise.  Now having a moment to actually look the rat realized the spider was here as well.  "Lowd bug!  Lowd bug!  Wie yoo bring hunter-fase thing here?  This is ratts, this is holie place!" he scolded. 
Mudada.

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue: The Ptembridge Story
« Reply #19 on: April 02, 2015, 11:20:22 AM »
"For once, we have a visitor with a more useful purpose than getting lost and being horrifically ambushed," the spider stated, blaring noise surrounding it getting darker as the irritated vermin turned to look at the rat, "I was leading him towards his friends to deal with Mr Scissors once and for all. Before he removes anyone else's hands, I should hope."