Bellandra notified the others, "I sense the owl gargoyle up ahead, methinks that corridor at least is worth exploring. Those clacking sounds could be spiders, centipedes, or maybe even driders or chuulpions, though, best be ready."

"As for those offerings on the table, I be distrustful, besides spoiling, it be all too easy to lace those with poison. And if there be creatures here, why have they not dined on these? But this be also a strange magical place, who knows what be meant to help or harm. I say we could take some along, to risk only if needed."

She would try to take along the torch next to the entrance of the center corridor, so that the crew would not be left in pitch black darkness like before. She would hold her hand crossbow in the other hand, ready to switch to her cutlass if needed.

Mission 7 - The Tunnels, Turn 22
*Turn Ends 9PM UTC, 23 May 2025.*

In order: Argy, Bellandra, BenKii/Hag, Gilius, Count, Grog'tial, Kyp, Crew

Within the eerie quiet after the screams and chanting there comes another thunk and a small series of mechanical sounding clicks. Even the faint sounds from the side tunnels pause for a moment. Then the ticking sound can be heard. The skittering and clacking from the sides increase their pace.

Argy: (roll dice*5) Another deadly trap... what could go wrong? you think to yourself. Trying to ignore your growling stomach you sniff the food and wrinkle your nose. You are a halfling cook with a natural love and understanding of food ... and this food doesn't look or smell right to you. For one thing, it looks too perfect. There isn't a single blemish or slightly off cut or uneven cooking mark anywhere. The food steams as if hot and fresh, but while it doesn't seem rancid, the subtle herbs and spices that should waft fragrantly instead smell old, dusty and cold to you. This isn't like anything you would ever serve, except maybe to Beckett or that drunken nobleman and his friends that got you arrested and made you lose your inn in the first place. Come to think of it, that nobleman dressed and acted a lot like one of Beckett's cohorts. But that is a thought for later. " 'Tis be not healthy. Food should be stored in a clean and dry place, nay like 'ere," you tell your mateys, relaying to them your opinion that something about it also isn't right.

Argy, you look at the casks. While they seem to be closed and so might be safer, you decide to wait for someone else to inspect them before doing anything. Kyp still has Pugwash's old crystal flask that purifies whatever liquid is placed in it. You remember how you used to place aside a special cask for Pugwash to use with it, and how Aeshma mistook it once when she was trying to get Aylar to sleep. Unfortunately, as was proved by Aeshma's potion, while the crystal flask will purify any poisons or foulness, it doesn't eliminate potions brewed from pure sources, like the sleeping potion. You shake your head, just not trusting it.

Argy, grabbing a lit candelabra in one hand and hefting your trusty pan in the other, you continue to the central corridor ahead as fast as you can, ready to keep up with the others when they move on.

Bellandra: (roll dice*3) After the screams give way to the sudden eerie silence, your link to the owl-gargoyle is almost viciously severed. There is still a residual fragmented sense as if something has tried to cut it off and only partially succeeded. Now with the ticking having resumed again you know if this place adjusts itself as before then your time is limited to reach wherever that connection is coming from. "I sense the owl gargoyle up ahead, methinks that corridor at least is worth exploring. Those clacking sounds could be spiders, centipedes, or maybe even driders or chuulpions, though, best be ready," you say to the others, before agreeing with Argy's warning. "As for those offerings on the table, I be distrustful, besides spoiling, it be all too easy to lace those with poison. And if there be creatures here, why have they not dined on these? But this be also a strange magical place, who knows what be meant to help or harm. I say we could take some along, to risk only if needed."

Bellandra, you step forward alongside Argy to the central corridor, taking the torch from beside its entrance to help light the way so crew won't be left in pitch black darkness like before. In your other hand you hold your hand crossbow, but you are ready to switch to your cutlass if needed. **(GM Note - I've either missed or do not see where you posted to reload your crossbow and with what style of bolt.)

Captain BenKii: (roll dice*5) You swiftly snatch the torch off the damp ground before it can sputter out, not willing to bet that there will be light wherever you end up next. Holding it high you examine the table for a few pieces of food and drink that are easy to carry while listening to Argy and Bellandra's opinions of why not to trust it. You tell the crew your theory, "This appears to be another chapter of an old book I used to read. Same as the Rabbit that was late, or the Cheshire cat, or the Queen of Hearts. All of those were from that book as well. If I'm right, then all this food will make us larger and the drinks will make us smaller. At least that's what it did in the book. Kyp, perhaps you could take some of that liquid with us in your flask?" With that you reach for some bread, cheese and fruit to stuff in your pockets. As you touch the food the bread crumbles and turns to dust in your hands while the cheese fragments become lumps of clay and the fruit becomes nothing but pits.

The Hag's taunting cackle echoes through the chamber as the illusion shatters. "Sorry, dearies. You'll have to come and bring me the halfling if you want to eat," the Hag's voice says. "Or perhaps you prefer to be eaten?" The sounds from the side tunnels multiply.

BenKii, with the screams then silence, the ticking starting again and now the increased beeps and whistled warnings from your tricorder, you look down to see the readout shows more threats registering from the left and right corridors while the skull symbol moves quickly down the corridor towards a room at the end with a power-up symbol. "Gentlemen, it appears we're about to have company for dinner and we are the main course. I suggest we don't dine in tonight," you say, urging the rest of the crew to proceed with haste as you move down the path the skull figure is shown to be heading. You attempt to keep a lookout for traps while keeping an eye on your tricorder's readings.

Gilius: (roll dice*6) [Rocky, 2 Turns reserved] You focus on the banquet and are about to approach the table when BenKii reaches for the bread and some cheese and the food changes. Then comes the Hag's taunting. *Success* Your senses tell you while much of the things on the table were originally natural, they have been changed or touched by foul magic. Nothing here will sustain the Crew, or not for long anyway. Turning away, you quickly look down the side entrances, stretching your druid senses along with your darkvision. *Success* You sense both natural and unnatural beings. What you see, however, is worse. Large centipedes, maggot-like slug creatures and several large spiders emerge from among the branching tunnels of bones, while behind them armed skeletons are rising and assembling themselves before turning in your direction. The Hag is sending a small army after the Crew! You shout out the warning to the others as you run to the front central corridor after Argy, Bellandra and BenKii.

Count Karnstein: (roll dice*3) (Weakened) "Well, 'tis a graveyard, alright. Fancy, subterranean type at that. Chapeau bas, Cap'n BenKii, impressive orientation skills indeed," you state loudly while stoically ignoring your soaked attire. It could be worse, much worse in fact.

Count, hearing the Hag's taunts and Gilius' warning, you quickly help Grog'tial barricade the entrance to the central corridor behind you with the table once everyone is in. You glance around for any beams or something to reinforce it, but find none. The heavy table alone will have to do. It should be enough to block or delay the slugs and skeletons if they are stupid enough creatures. You hope the tunnels from the side corridors aren't interconnected with this one. With the table wedged at your backs, you advance to the front line of the group to move further down the corridor with your shield ready.

Grog'tial: (roll dice*5) [crossbow; 2 regular bolts loaded] Mindful of Argy's warning, you are about to use your dirk to scan the food and drink when you see the illusion shatter and hear the cruel cackling and taunts of the Hag. In place of the roasts and capon you see large desiccated maggot and spider husks. Ugh. At least they're dead. Then you hear BenKii urging haste and Gilius' warning about incoming spiders, centipedes, slugs and skeletons from the side tunnels. Why does it always have to be spiders?

Grog'tial, you quickly clip your crossbow to your belt while snatching as many of the crystal glasses as you can in your gloved hands. *Success* Grabbing six of the eight crystal glasses by their stems, you run to the entrances of the side tunnels and toss three into each, shattering the crystal into sharp shards to hamper anything coming from there. Returning to the banquet table, you request assistance to overturn it and drag it to blockade the entrance to the central tunnel once they're all inside. With the help of Count and Kyp you manage to work it in to a nice tight fit. You know it won't stop the spiders or centipedes, but it should stop or slow the rest. Once that is done you sigh as you once again change out your bolts for two regular ones. At least you're getting extra practice to help get even swifter with reloading. Proceeding into the central corridor with the others, you take up guard duty, ready to shoot any enemy that appears while also keeping a close eye on your dirk. It shows no mental influence threats.

Kyp: (roll dice*3) (Weakened) [Per PM'd intent] You notice in the brief moment of quiet after the thunk and before the ticking starts that the music has run down again. Getting back to your feet, you rewind the music box. You hear Argy's warning, as well as Bellandra's concerns and frankly, looking at the shattered illusion of the food you aren't willing to replace the pure water in your crystal flask with anything off of THAT table. Instead you help Grog'tial and Count overturn the table and barricade the central corridor behind you, then move down the tunnel after the others as rear guard with Grog'tial.

Crew: (roll dice*5) As you proceed down the corridor the flickering torch and candle light cast strange shadows on the occupants of the alcoves, giving them a sinister aspect almost as if they shift or move. In the light you see they are empty suits of knight's armor, the darkness within those lowered vacant helms seeming all too menacingly watchful. You are almost halfway down the corridor when you hear the sound of weapons beginning to chop at the table barricade. Grog'tial glances behind to see many medium dog sized spiders and only slightly smaller centipedes already crawling over the barricade onto the walls and ceiling. Ahead in the dimness Crew can just see the open doorway of a lit room at the end. Then two suits of armor step from the alcoves into the corridor 10m/33ft ahead of you carrying halberds, their figures outlined by the light from the room beyond. Kyp and Grog'tial call out a warning as two more suits of armor step out behind the Crew, trying to trap you all between them. The tricorder shrills and beeps, showing the Pac-Man skull taking a sudden turn left into a narrow tunnel as the symbols of the four Pac-Man Ghosts representing the possessed knight armor chases after. Following the skull image on the tricorder, you turn into the narrower tunnel, managing to keep ahead of pursuers as it leads you all on a round about way back to the corridor, the four suits of armor now all chasing behind you.

You come out of the narrower tunnel into the central corridor barely 3m/10ft in front of the open doorway into the room. 1.5m/5ft before the doorway on each side is an alcove with vines. The tricorder beeps again, showing the skull symbol disappearing into the room. Inside you find three empty painting frames lying on the floor amidst the scattered litter of puzzle pieces. On the wall to one side of the door is a lit torch. On the other side is a table and a long bench. To each side of the door are brackets for barricading the door, but there is no bar.

The ticking continues along with the sounds of chopping and cracking of wood at the other end of the corridor as the warning beeps of the tricorder show the four Pac-Man Ghost symbols of the possessed suits of armor and the blips of the swarm of spiders and centipedes getting closer.

-----
End Central Corridor/doorway to Painting Room: Argy, Bellandra, BenKii, Count, Gilius, Grog'tial, Kyp
Somewhere out in the World, near a brothel: Devin
???: Aylar, Cliodhna, Aeshma, Refyx, Rummyfangs, Baldbeard

Holding his dirk to make certain the vines aren't about to lash out when he passes them, and otherwise to be able to cut them off, Grog'tial swiftly ushers the group into the room, and barricades the door by placing the long bench into the brackets. (The back of his mind is yabbering about the bad tactical situation with everyone contained in a room with only one exit (?), and what if the door gets locked while they're in, and this is exactly what his half-brother wants them to do! ...but the front of his mind is just trying to get away from the spiders.)

If any spiders or centipedes made it in, they get stamped upon, stabbed or bolted, depending on what makes most sense.

Grog'tial takes a second look around the room to see if there are any full paintings they might escape through, or anything else of interest he missed from outside. Otherwise he'll examine the puzzle pieces. Would they make a full picture which could be placed in one of the frames? Are there any discernible motifs which obviously belong together? If it looks doable in a halfway reasonable amount of time, and no more pressing matters present themselves, Grog'tial will start in on assembling a puzzle. If other crew members also want to try and assemble the puzzle(s), he'll focus on organizing puzzle pieces into separate motifs, so multiple people can work on separate (parts of the) puzzle(s) at the same time.
(Wasn't there someone who had loaned the book on puzzles? Oh yes... Aylar. Typical...)

If/when the armored statues are close to breaking through the door, Grog'tial will load armor piercing bolts into his crossbow, and prepare to face them.

Argy will enter the room and start working on the puzzles and frames. Having a tiny flash of intuition, she produces the flower drawing out of one of her pockets. Maybe it fits in one of the frames, or corresponds with the image of one of the puzzles. Else she'll focus on solving the puzzles, first separating the pieces from different puzzles, then trying to piece them together.

If/when the suits of armor start trying to break open the door, Grog'tial will ask Gilius if he can use the vines outside the door to stop them.

Once inside the room, Gilius will use his staff to command the vines to entangle any creature approaching the door. (Or if he can't command the vines to "defend" an area in advance, he will do so once the door is breached, just as Grog'tial asked him.)

Then, he will help Grog'tial barricading the door with the bench.

After that he will take a few seconds to examine the room for anything the crew could have missed at first glance : traps, hidden exits, trapdoors, items, magical aura, etc.

Then, he will hurry to examine the puzzle pieces and try to solve it, thinking of his methods of playing with the chessboard to try to solve it more easily.

If Gilius feels that the door won't hold out for much longer, he will invoke Rocky to brace the door and help the bench to resist longer.

Should the creatures manage to breach the door, Gilius will make use of his staff again to call upon the vines to stop them, as many times as necessary.

If any Graverot mushrooms are discovered among the catacomb bodies on the way toward the Painting Room then BenKii will pick them up. Once inside, he will help barricade the door with the long bench by placing it on the brackets then place the table up against the door to further beef up the entryway. Next, he will attempt to put the puzzle pieces together opting to focus his efforts on building just one of the puzzle pictures to fit into the picture frame. With 3 picture frames, there are pieces for 3 possible paintings. He will glance at his tricorder to see if the Skull prefers assembling one picture over another. Once the puzzle is built he will gather the remaining puzzle pieces and picture frames and jump through the picture if it is indeed a portal to a safe place. If at any time the creatures break through the barricade, he will use his musket to defend crew. If at least 3 or more creatures break through at once then he will use his Flash Powder to buy everyone enough time to defeat and/or finish the painting puzzle.

(Sorry, I'm not very detailed at the moment. Been real busy today.)

Is intelligence roll taken into account for this sort of puzzle (i.e. are we talking more like a 1000 or 20 pieces here)? I hope so. Count will try to use his supreme intellect to figure out what picture can be arranged and then proceed with putting it together.

If an animated armor is close to breaking through the door and the puzzle is not finished, he will leave the puzzle and stand by the door. When the armor appears, he will smash its knee joint and/or elbow joint with a hammer, hoping to cripple it before backing off. He will also smash any spiders and centipedes coming near. Should it come to more fighting with animated armors, he will use shield to defend against halberd and will try the maneuver with attacking the joints again, as it seems like the only viable way to significantly damage them in his case.

LOL. Yes, INT and familiarity or possible experience with recognizing certain clues in the pieces/pictures gives bonuses here since your puzzle book person isn't with you. ;)

Oh, and it's more like a 100-200 piece puzzle each, so not quite so impossible.
(Remember, a Hag wouldn't want you to give up without trying. She would want to sow despair or crush hopes after you're nearly there, if she can.)

Mission 7 - The Tunnels, Turn 23
*Turn Ends 9PM UTC, 27 May 2025.*

In order: Grog'tial, Gilius, BenKii, Argy, Count, Bellandra, Kyp, Crew

Grog'tial: (roll dice*10) [crossbow; 2 regular bolts loaded] You eye the vines in the nearby alcove as you pass them, holding your dirk to be able to cut them off should they lash out at you. When they don't seem to respond or threaten, you swiftly usher the others into the 4.5m/15ft square room. Just managing to slam the door shut on some spiders, you grab the nearby bench and ram it down into the brackets with Gilius' and BenKii's help, barricading the door. The back of your mind is yammering at you about the bad tactical situation you find yourself in, with everyone contained in a room with only one visible exit. What if the door gets locked while you're all in here? Is this exactly what your half-brother wants you to do? But the front of your mind is more concentrated on getting away from the spiders as your eyes notice several spider legs waving wildly from where you've crushed them in the door jamb when you slammed it shut on them. With a shudder you take your dirk and sever them, kicking them into a far corner of the room away from you.

Grog'tial, with that done you take a more careful look around the room, but see no intact paintings through which you might escape. You notice some residue soot and scorch marks near the ceiling that look like there had once been a fire that wasn't quite fully cleaned up. The middle of each wall not including the wall with the door contain nails for hanging the paintings. Examining those walls close up and tapping on the bricks with your dirk reveal no hollow sounds or secret entrances to possible tunnels that you can find. If there is another way out as the skull hinted then it must have something to do with the paintings themselves, now in pieces on the floor.

Grog'tial, you turn your attention to the puzzle pieces. From what you can determine they look like enough to make up three pictures to fit the empty frames. Sorting through them you begin to notice different color schemes and focus on organizing puzzle pieces into separate piles. One third are obviously darker, a night scene. Another third is mostly whites, misty grays and blues. The last third are a myriad of brighter colors and patterns. You look over the Crew as you sort, trying to determine which puzzle would be best to work on first. Wasn't there someone who had loaned the book on puzzles? Oh yes... Aylar. You sigh. Typical...

Gilius: (roll dice*9) [Rocky, 2 Turns reserved] As you pass the vines in the alcove you reach out with your druid senses and find them to be friendly and welcoming of your nature magic. Once everyone is inside the room you use your staff to command the vines to entangle any creature approaching the door. *Success* They move to respond just as Grog'tial slams the door and you hurry to help him barricade it with the bench.

Gilius, you examine the room for anything the crew could have missed and notice the residue soot and scorch marks near the ceiling. It reminds you that Rufus had lit a painting on fire and with Peloquin closing the door the room had rapidly filled with smoke and could have killed them. You've already survived one room on fire, fingering the chess piece in your pocket you look at the torches and candelabra and hope nobody is careless with them!

Gilius, as you watch Grog'tial tap and examine the walls, you once again use your druid senses. You sense no tunnels or wafts of nature's breeze that might indicate another exit. The only magical aura comes from the picture frames. Turning your attention to the puzzle pieces themselves, you see where Grog'tial is separating them by overall color scheme. Thinking of the strategic patterns and observations when playing chess, you look closer at the piles. You notice two piles have aspects of nature to them. The dark one hints of an outdoor scene with some vegetation at night, and there are hints of stone, sea and sky to the second pile, while the third seems to show the warm colors of wood and floral patterns under softer indoor lighting. You reach for dark pile, using your experience with darkvision and knowledge of nature to help you distinguish the natural shapes in the shadowy landscape to put it together.

Gilius, as you hear the sounds of metal and things being tripped or jerked away against the corridor walls or floors by the vines, your recent time with the chessboard reminds you of one more thing ... the tactics of timing. The ticking has resumed. If the pattern holds, you only need to keep the enemies out for a short time before the dungeon will move this room away. Meantime, if you get the paintings put together, Crew should be able to carry them with you like BenKii did last time.

Captain BenKii: (roll dice*7) You quickly peruse the catacombs on your way through for Graverot mushrooms, but find none. Once inside you recognize this as the room with the paintings from the last time you were in this place, but it has been moved around from the dungeon's altering itself as outside is definitely NOT the western tunnels you remember. Turning, you swiftly help Grog'tial and Gilius barricade the door with the long bench. Then you place the table up against the door to further beef up the entryway.

BenKii, with that done you turn to where Grog'tial is separating the puzzle pieces into three piles. You look at your tricorder to see if the skull maybe indicates assembling one picture over another. It shows no skull, only the energy readings of three incomplete portals centered on the three frames. Seeing Gilius starting to work on the darker set, you look over the other two. Wait. Is that the hint of a white flowering vine? You grab a piece from the lighter pile and look at it closer in the torchlight. It's misty, but it could be white flowers against some wall or building. Propping your torch up in the corner against the stone bricks, you quickly begin to work on assembling the puzzle, a plan in your mind. If the Crew can put together one picture you all can gather the remaining puzzle pieces and picture frames and take them with you while jumping through ... if it is indeed a portal to a safe place. Meanwhile you keep your musket to hand, just in case the enemies are able to break past the vines and start to break through the door and you have to defend the Crew. You also pat the Flash Powder in your pocket, with the idea to use it to buy everyone enough time to defeat and/or finish the painting puzzle should three or more creatures break in.

Argy: (roll dice*3) Almost out of breath from keeping up with the others' longer strides, you enter the room. Once the door has been barricaded and Grog'tial is separating the pieces into three piles, you start working on the puzzles and frames. Having a tiny flash of intuition, you produce the flower drawing from one of your pockets. It doesn't fit any of the frames, being much smaller than those, but maybe it will correspond or give clues to the image of one of the puzzles? Looking over the pieces, you help Grog'tial separate a few, then seeing Gilius and BenKii starting on two of them, you take the third to try to piece it together. Its colors and patterns feel homier, almost familiar, and there is a partial floral to it. Placing your candelabra close by for light, you set your focus to solving the puzzle.

Count Karnstein: (roll dice*3) (Weakened) You wait until the door is barricaded and braced, then wait a moment more to ascertain if any of the armors are going to try to break through before you turn your focus to the others. Seeing the puzzle pieces already being divided into piles, you decide to try to use your supreme intellect to figure out what picture can be arranged. Looking over Gilius' shoulder, your own long experience with darkness calls to you as you recognize something familiar. Picking up a piece from the dark pile you see a partial gravestone. With a smirk you find another. As Gilius continues to quickly assemble the outer edges of trees and night sky, you concentrate on putting together the central aspects of the graveyard itself, while being ready to leap to action should an animated armor come close to breaking through the door.

Bellandra: (roll dice*2) You find yourself drawn to Argy's pile of puzzle pieces. In them you recognize woodgrain, but it is something more. Through them you still get the slight resonance of kin. You help Argy to complete the puzzle, concentrating on fitting the wooden image patterns together.

Kyp: (roll dice*3) (Weakened) [Per PM'd intent] You join the others in the room and help barricade and block the door. Turning to observe your Crew companions putting together puzzle pictures, you draw closer. Your experience and familiarity with the sea immediately draws you to the puzzle Captain BenKii is working on. You pull the water, wave and seashore pieces to yourself, your mind swiftly seeing just how the natural currents should look to make the pieces fit together, while BenKii continues working on the sky and building atop the seaside cliff.

Crew: (roll dice*5) The noises in the corridor beyond the door have gotten louder and now the strikes of weapons come against the door, but not for long. It seems the vines are still keeping most back ... for now. In the background the ticking continues.

You all hurry to place the last pieces in the three puzzle pictures. As you complete each, the pieces fuse together and form a large still painting. One is of a graveyard at night, with mushrooms growing on one of the graves. There are bats in the night sky and what look like eyes glowing from between the trees at the edge. Next is a lighthouse on a promontory amidst a light fog, with waves crashing against the cliff below. White morning glory-like flowering vines grow along part of the cliff and lighthouse. The third shows part of a wood panel and floral wallpapered room, with comfortable lounges and satiny cushions everywhere in bright colors. There are bowls of fruits and a pitcher on a side table, as if at an inn. A diaphanous robe seems to be draped over one of the lounges.

Once you place each painting in a frame it seems to come alive. The breeze stirs the trees and grasses as the bats fly overhead and the eyes vanish in the graveyard painting. The sea waves move and crash against the cliff and the wind moves the flowers as the beam of the lighthouse sweeps across, almost blinding the Crew. In the third painting there is a warm flickering light, like from a fireplace or lantern nearby. Then from the deepest shadows out from under the back lounge two bright green eyes appear as a black cat slowly emerges. It blinks at you then flicks its tail twice before streaking out of the painting stage left.

-----
Dungeon, Painting Room: Argy, Bellandra, BenKii, Count, Gilius, Grog'tial, Kyp
Somewhere out in the World, near a brothel: Devin
???: Aylar, Cliodhna, Aeshma, Refyx, Rummyfangs, Baldbeard