ItO solo - Part V : obols for the ferryman

They proceed wordlessly down a long corridor. Several annoyed huffs later, they reach a side passage, which ends in a closed door.

"Do we try it?" asks Bassianus.

"It's the right way to go, I suppose," says Athalie.

Swayed by her ringing endorsement, they take the passage.

[Room 14]

Behind the door is a great square chamber filled with gargantuan machines made of tarnished brass. The machines stand silent now, and glisten with moisture from the unpleasantly humid air. There is a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, velvet eye-patch, and voluminous cloak, currently engaged in picking the mushrooms growing on the machinery and stuffing them into his pockets.

[Q: Who is he? Ye Slaves of Appetite]

The sudden light glinting off the brass alerts him to the new arrivals, and he wheels about with a flourish of his cloak.

"Who are you?" asks Isabeau.

"I? Who are you? You obviously aren't star cultists, and you don't look like you work for the sewer conglomerate..."

"We could say the same about you!" says Athalie. "But we are travellers, who besought to avoid the dangers in the streets by taking a shortcut Underground -- perhaps unadvisedly. Now, who are you?" [Athalie's WIL save (Reaction roll) succeeds, so he's willing to talk]

"You mean you don't recognise me?"

"I'm afraid not."

"My name is -- Bunbury."

"Oh."

"You've not heard of me? Really?"

"Sorry."

"I am Bunbury: the Epicure Supreme -- The modern-day Trimalchio -- Last of the red hot flâneurs. And lately, a fugitive from the star cult."

"Do you know a way out?"

[Q: Does he? 50/50 (4+): O3 C8 - no]

"I fear I have lost my way."

"Come with us, then, and we shall find you a way to the surface."

"Really?" asks Bassianus.

"Any enemy of the cult..."

"You've a point there, my dear."

[Q: Does he have any equipment? likely (3+): O6 C7 - yes (alternate starting character)
Q: Does he have any cash? doubtful (6): O6 C4 - yes, but d30=19s
Q: Has he taken any damage? 1d4-1 attributes reduced: 1, d3=STR d8=3damage]

Bunbury
STR 6/9, DEX 16, WIL 9, 6hp
crowbar (d6), snail, scented candle, 19s

Once their new companion has finished stuffing his pockets full of fungus, they head back to the main corridor, which leads finally into an irregular, C-shaped chamber.

[Room 15]

[puzzle : desperate Madness (so, more a trap than a puzzle)]

As they pass through the empty chamber, they feel a resonance coming from the bare, striated cement walls. The tones -- felt more than heard -- rise to a maddening crescendo, and derangement follows in their wake. Isabeau and Athalie, being young ladies of sense, steel their wills against the encroaching delirium. Their gentlemen companions, however, succumb to the waves of lunacy.

[They all needed WIL saves to avoid madness. For the failures--
Q: What is Bassianus' folly? unruly Appetites
Q: What is Bunbury's folly? rejoice in this blessed Hope]

Bunbury becomes convinced that nothing will prevent him from leaving this accursed sewer, and he puffs up with foolhardiness and hope. Yet no one notices the sudden change in his demeanour as Bassianus' affliction plays out before their eyes. An awful hunger wells up in him, and he must feed -- now, on meat. Delicious, raw meat. He suddenly takes his hatchet to Geta, felling the hawk with one mighty blow [3 damage kills] and begins to devour it raw, feathers and all.

The others look on in bewilderment and horror mixed, but as they feel the madness ever plucking at their brains they merely urge him to eat on the way. They pass a side passage, but Athalie shakes her head [WIL save succeeds], and they follow the curve round to the far end, where a long, lonely tunnel leads them to...

[Room 16]

...a squarish chamber, full of overhead pipes. Others run vertically from floor to ceiling, creating a sort of tunnel for those who do not wish to crawl. Clicking noises reverberate off of, or perhaps within, the pipes.

In a sort of clearing near one of the walls the explorers come upon a solitary, hunched-over beldam, currently engaged in stirring some evil-smelling broth in a kettle made from parts of an old boiler. As they draw near, the lantern light reveals her skin to be hanging off her tiny frame in rubbery folds, as if she'd bought it several sizes too large. [encounter: drooping Mother]

Drooping Mother
STR 15, DEX 10, WIL 11, 9HP
Driven to make a vile soup
Rubbery skin (Armour 2)
Awful Wail (d6 Blast), if critical damage inflicted target drains away to a pool of bubbling fluid -- to be added to the broth

The wretched creature looks plaintively at the explorers, and is opening her mouth to speak when Bunbury leaps forward, a wordless cry of bravado issuing from his lips.

[The rest must make DEX saves to avoid Surprise: Athalie, Bassianus, and the Drooping Mother succeed.]

[Round 1]
Bunbury wields a crowbar like a bludgeon. It connects solidly with the awful beldam, but bounces off her rubbery hide [5-2=3 damage to 6hp]. Athalie and Bassianus follow with sword and hatchet, but their blades too meet resistance on the thick, drooping dermis [2-2=0, 4-2=2 damage, down to 4hp].

As they rain blows down upon the creature, it stands stock-still, but underneath the folds of its terrible face it opens wide toothless red jaws and a monstrous keening issues forth. All in the room feel it in the marrow of their bones, as if they might shatter or burst.

[All take damage to their HP. Bassianus gets the worst of it, taking 5 points, leaving him with 0hp and 11 STR; d20=7, no critical, luckily]

[Round 2]
Joined by Isabeau, they continue to lay into the abomination, but their weapons are continually repelled by the rubbery flesh [7 total damage get through; it's down to 0hp, 12 STR, but avoids critical damage.]

The keening will not stop. Athalie proves the most resistant to it [to 0hp exactly], but Bassianus and Isabeau are certain their limbs are going to explode [both to 0hp, 9 STR, no crit]. The sound has spelt doom for poor Bunbury, however. His entire body starts draining away like wax from a cheap taper. Everything is consumed -- flesh, bones, hair -- until all that remains is a puddle of bubbling goo in a pile of fashionable clothing [failed his STR save].

[Round 3]
The others' terror renews the fury of their assault, and the keening is abruptly silenced [crit damage]. They do not stop until the thing is a pulpy mass beneath the tatters of purloined skin.

Their rage and fear spent, they stand round their new comrade's... remains.

"Poor sod," says Athalie.

"I'd just been starting to warm to him," adds Bassianus.

"Well, he won't be needing his stuff any more," observes Isabeau.

They wipe off his possessions as best they are able and distribute them amongst themselves. Athalie fancies his scented candle, as her flat still has a suspicious odour after the gefilte fish incident. Bassianus surmises he'll have a more immediate need of the crowbar. Isabeau is content with his meagre purse of 19 shillings, and adds it to her own.

[Q: Did the drooping Mother have any treasure? unknown d6=2: O1 C8 - no]

Once they have rested a bit, Athalie tries to get her bearings and decide which of the two exits will lead them the right direction. [Short rest, no encounter, HP back to full; WIL save for navigation succeeds]

They follow her down a short passage which opens out into a long, triangular space.

[Room 17]

[contents: Goal (the exit), caustic pools]

The floor is uneven, pitted concrete. Pools of an acrid-smelling, caustic fluid are everywhere, and the explorers must pick their careful way between them. Then a rhythmic clicking is heard, and moments later the animated skeleton of some unknown quadruped, the size of a small deer, walks into the light. It moves right through the toxic pools, unfazed by its acidic properties.

The explorers are certain it means them ill, and ready their arms to do battle.

Skeletal Ungulate
STR 8, DEX 13, WIL 6, 15hp
Nasty bite (d8)
immune to missiles and acid, but shatters if it suffers critical damage

[Each round, a DEX save is needed to avoid splashing one's self in a puddle for d12 damage, OR one may fight carefully, but lose Initiative and all attacks are Impaired]

[Round 1]
The skeleton bounds up, rears, and bites at Isabeau, but she fends off the snapping jaws before they fasten on her throat [4dmg to 1hp]. Her counterattack is weak, as she expends more attention on not stepping in the acid puddles than she does on swordplay. Bassianus' and Athalie's attacks are similarly ineffective [Impaired attacks, so d4+d4+d4=10 damage, dropping it to 5hp].

[Round 2]
Its snaps at Isabeau's face, and the teeth just barely scrape the end of her nose [1 damage to 0hp]. But it soon reduced to a lifeless jumble of bones at her feet. [critical damage, shatters]

At the far end of the room, a ladder leads up to the street. Isabeau pauses to wind her mechanical hand, then they climb to the surface. They emerge from a manhole...

[Q: Are they very close to their destination? 50/50 (4+): O4 C1 - yes, and...]

...to find themselves a scant few doors down from their destination, Hightower Hats & Canes. There's no way to make themselves presentable, being covered as they are in grime, blood, and less pleasant things, so Athalie concocts a plan that takes their current state into account. She will distract the shopkeeper whilst Isabeau slinks behind the counter to place the Tack. Should she be about to be discovered, Bassianus will pretend to trip over a display.

[2 out of 3 PCs must succeed in a Save in order to pull this off]

They go in boldly. Athalie is in the lead, her claw hand carefully concealed beneath her travelling cloak. They all three exude the odour of the sewers, and as the disgusted shopkeep is opening his mouth to say something, her monologue cuts him off.

"Heavens! What an afternoon we've just had. That's the last time I go near the sewer taxis, let me tell you! There were mutants! Mutants everywhere. They devoured the taxi man and linkboys, and then came for me. My stalwart manservant fought them off bravely, but -- O the benighted fiends! -- they stole my favourite hat. Fortunately we emerged where we did, for there is a darling bonnet in your window, and I simply must have it. Must, I tell you." [WIL save: d20=14, success]

The shopkeeper decides to breathe through his mouth and see to the customer. She demands he get the the one down from the furthest mannequin in the window display, and refuses to take it herself. She snaps her fingers. "Basingstoke, put the bonnet on me. I can't very well do it myself. And those dreadful mutants ate my maid."

Bassianus springs to m'lady's side and puts the bonnet on her head, struggling with the bow beneath her chin as if he'd never done up a young lady's bonnet before. Though perhaps this is no mere act.

Whilst the shopkeeper is preoccupied, Isabeau slinks behind the counter and jabs the Tack into the wall. [DEX save: d20=3, success] When she glides back onto the sales floor, Bassianus gives Athalie the signal (a wink -- they couldn't think up anything better).

"I just can't decide! Dame Ilford, do come over and let me have your opinion."

Isabeau comes over and offers some nonsensical opinions, but 'Lady Acton' can't make up her mind, and insists she simply must sleep on it. The three companions scurry out into the street, taking care to retain their laughter until they've turned the corner.

There's a stairway down to the sewer taxi. Isabeau digs into her purse for poor Bunbury's dosh, and counts out 5s each for journey back home.

Dénouement

Their shadowy boss is satisfied -- insofar as he is able to feel satisfaction with any of his underlings -- and cancels the current interest on their debt, though they are still his creatures until they pay off the original loan (the amount of which I'm keeping vague, as it's a plot point rather than something they can pay off with treasure).

Athalie sells the jewellery they took from the cult for 10d10=62s. WIL save: d20=6, success -- she knows whom to sell it to so that there will be no repercussions. They divide the haul -- 20s each, with the leftover 2s spent on pie & plonk for a celebratory dinner down their local.

Athalie has kept the Psalter from the (aboveground) cult temple. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she spends a night reading it alone in her room. So--

Q: Is it an Arcanum? doubtful (6): O1 C7 - no
Q: Is it worth something? doubtful (6): O5 C6 - no
Q: Is it safe to read? unlikely (5+): O4 C3 - no, but... a WIL save is needed to avoid deleterious effects: d20=14, ok. She'll hang onto it for now, as one never knows, but she's not going to look inside its covers again.

For surviving their first adventure, the PCs advance to the Professional experience level. They each get 1d6 additional hit points, and roll a d20 against each of their Ability Scores, raising them by 1 if the die rolls higher.

Athalie
STR increases to 13, DEX to 14, +5hp

Bassianus
STR to 6, DEX to 11, WIL to 7, +3hp

Isabeau
STR to 17, DEX to 10, WIL to 10, +4hp

They spend some of their cash to buy new equipment (a pistol for Athalie, a flashbang for Bassianus, acid, animal repellent, and anti-toxin for Isabeau). I'll assume whatever stipend their patron doles out allows them to break even for food & shelter whilst they perform miscellaneous tasks for him until the next adventure commences... anon.