Carrion Crown / Wake of the Watcher (Part 10) – 05/04/2015
Having defeated the devilfish and scattered the sharks under its dominion, the heroes ride the bathysphere down to the bottom of the lake. Rafe hauls on the brake before the submersible sinks into the silty ooze. On the surface of the water, a bell chimes and Professor Croon locks the chain in place until the party indicate their wish to return. Secretly, he is surprised that his device actually worked!
Still in octopus form, Thorne locates the entrance to the skum lair. A fleshy curtain prevents the dungeon from flooding. The surface yields to his probing tentacles and Thorne pushes through into the dark, (comparatively) dry tunnel beyond. The air is foul, yet breathable and the dwarven druid resumes his normal shape. Rafe, Hargr and Van Hellsqueak follow him through.
Lacking Darkvision, Rafe gropes around until he finds a fist-sized rock, upon which he casts Light. As the object in his hand begins to glow, Rafe realises he is holding a human skull. With a surprised cry, he throws it away. The skull lands in the middle of the cavern, breaking into several glowing fragments and illuminating two immensely tall, gangrel figures lurking in the shadows. The creatures shamble forward slowly, their long arms dangling loosely at their sides.
“Get ready for a fight!” Hargr growls, brandishing his axe.
“Don’t worry, it’s going to take them ages to get here!” Van Hellsqueak chortles, observing the monster’s comically slow approach.
Suddenly, the nearest of the two creatures flickers, reappearing scant feet away from the surprised halfing. Van Hellsqueak shrieks in an unheroic fashion as the dimensional shambler wraps it long, pale arms around him. The creature flickers again and suddenly it and the halfling are both gone!
The second creature materialises in front on Hargr, who ducks under its groping limbs and chops it in half with a single swing of his axe!
“What happened to Van Hellsqeak?” Rafe asked.
“That thing grabbed him and disappeared.” Thorne replied, moving over to where the halfling had been standing until a moment ago, “I don’t think he’s coming back.”
“Oh dear, what a tragedy, I think I’m going to weep.” Hargr grumbled, shouldering his way passed the mopey druid, “Let’s keep moving! Smellsqueak can look after himself.”
Ahead, the tunnel branches and Rafe scouts ahead. The first room he peeks into is occupied by a crowd of silent, motionless skum. The room is unlit, save for a faint, purple glow originating from the heads of the skum. With a wave of revulsion, Rafe realises that the tops of their heads have been opened up with surgical precision and their glowing brains are exposed to the air. The skum do not respond to the hero’s intrusion, they appear completely dormant. The heroes pass another few caves similarly stocked with lobotomised fishmen.
Suddenly, the air shimmers and Van Hellsqueak is unceremoniously dumped back into this plane of existence. He is pale and shaking, an expression of wordless terror plastered across his face.
“Where did that thing take you?” Thorne asked, handing the trembling halfling a mug of steaming cocoa to settle his tremulous nerves, “To the depths of the Abyss? To Leng?”
“It was worse!” Van Hellsqueak shuddered, “I only caught a glimpse of a hellish landscape spread out below me. Foul, unwashed creatures wandered aimlessly through the streets; single mothers with packs of feral children snapping at their heels and dead eyed menfolk staring hopelessly into the depths of their lukewarm beer. I think the shambler called it… Slough.”
“It’s ok, you’re safe now.” Thorne comforts the distraught halfling.
To be continued….