Session 144 - Into the Zombie Hole

Phew! Finally managed to squeeze in the recap.
I'd make excuses but we've been together pretty much every day for a whole week!

So, moving onto art and such:

-- Tom gives us SO MANY THINGS and this recap is SO LATE but THANK YOU TOM

Session 144 - Into the Zombie Hole

Campaign Date:
Wednesday, 10 July, 1660
Moon Phase: Waning Crescent
Zodiac: Gemini

New Characters:
- Bob the Dwarf, a surprisingly brave ex-midwife

New Backstory:
- Carrie Meleste rewards her followers for their submissive behaviour, to the delight of her clientele. (Once per round, may give an order. The recipient gets +1 to carrying out that order)
- In the midst of gruelling and brutal war, Raaf allowed his troops to desert and escape the meatgrinder. A noble sacrifice indeed. (When fleeing, may grant your flee die to another)
Enemies Defeated:- 3 undead wolves (225 exp)
- 12 zombies (120 exp)
- Mr Zombiemaster (100 exp)

Total: 545 exp

Treasure and Equipment:

- Baba Yaga's Pestle - Conserves momentum until it hits something.
- Bonebreath - A staff with a skull on it and ghostly blue glowing eyes.
- Packet of Redeye Cigarettes
- The Necromancer's grimoire

Total: 0 exp

Exploration:- Explored several dungeon areas (80 exp)
- 12 miles of travel (40 exp)
Total: 120 exp

Events:

- We open with Blue Jon and Rake on the floating zombie island, and the rest of the party separated by the zombie-infested water. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD constructs a raft from wood and rope, and Zena tests it by punting out across the water. Unfortunately it breaks, and she falls in! (50 exp)
- Zena is pulled back, using groaning zombie heads like stepping stones to get back to land (50 exp)
- Since that didn't work, POWERLAD activates Fly and just ferries everyone across that way. Hurrah! (50 exp)
- Everyone is airdropped onto the island and meets up with Blue Jon and Rake who have already descended into the hole in the hut... (50 exp)
- Inside the zombie island is a passage hollowed out, grasping hands reach from all sides making movement difficult. (50 exp)
- The first room seems to have some patches of fuzzy carpet embedded in the floor. Blue Jon, paranoid, pokes one with his sword... (50 exp)
- He was right to be paranoid! Undead wolves burst out from the floor and bite at him! (50 exp)
- Rake steps forth with his enormous axe, Zena begins charging a rune, Carrie starts casting Turn Undead, arrows are fired and defensive positions are taken. (50 exp)
- Blue Jon fires a pistol... and it misfires! He's blinded by the flash, and the pistol itself spins off into the dark. (50 exp)
- Castirake is hit by a wolf, and the yellow fluid dripping from their teeth is revealed to be ghoul poison! The yellow muck seeps under the armour and Rake falls to his knees, stunned. (50 exp)
- The zombie arms coming from the walls and floor grapple anyone who's not constantly moving. Zena's rune is interrupted but Carrie's isn't! Blue Jon's familiar leads him out of the danger zone. (50 exp)
- Raaf stuffs a bunch of straw into a pistol to intentionally cause a misfire, then chucks it into the room! It's a partial success, and the blinding flash blinds a single wolf and Raaf himself. (50 exp)
- Zena stands over Rake, protecting him, while Bob cannonballs into one of the other wolves and murders it! (50 exp)
- Turn Undead goes off! It causes all the zombie arms to retract, and the hallway to even widen a bit as the zombies try to get away. (50 exp)- Zena protects Rake as best she can, but gets poisoned by one of the wolves for her trouble. She stays standing. (50 exp)
- Rake feels his muscles grinding as he resists the stun, but manages to cleave through both the remaining wolves with one massive swing of his massive axe! (50 exp)
- The party rest and recuperate for a bit, listening out for danger. They hear a voice, quickly hushed, giving orders. (50 exp)
- Blue Jon yells rude words at the voice, to no effect. (50 exp)
- They follow the corridor towards the voice, and run into a spiky trap! Luckily no casualties, but a fair amount of bruising. (50 exp)
- At last, they enter the main central room. The pestle is there! Upright in a hollowed-out hole in the zombie-filth-mat ground. (50 exp)
- Tons of zombies and stuff can be seen behind it. Rake moves up to the pestle and... "Surprise motherfucker!" The Zombiemaster guy is lying down in the hole! (50 exp)
- He ghost-blasts Rake into the ceiling, where he's grappled by a bunch of reaching zombies. The pestle moves in its hole and the whole island shudders! It's like a tiller! Several people fall to the ground. (50 exp)
- Zena dives to the ground and fires a scattershot charge at the zombies. Wide impact, but only one falls! (50 exp)

- Powerlad shots web under where Rake will land, also catching a whole bunch of zombies in the radius. Rake falls and has a soft landing. Phew! (50 exp)
- Bob the Dwarf cannonballs into a zombie's crotch, killing it. Meanwhile Blue Jon is trying to slap Castirake awake. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD jumps over the pestle-hole containing Mr Zombiemaster, sees him, and casts a Magic Missile! (50 exp)
- He plummets into the guy with a massive multi-hit combo that ends with Zombiemaster's arm being ground off at the shoulder by the pestle. Badass! (50 exp)
- His last words before POWERLAD stamps onto his face are "Please! I just wanted to make the best zombies!" (50 exp)
- The zombie hands reach out of the ground and tear his flesh to shreds, Shaun of the Dead style. (50 exp)
- The remaining zombies slump to the ground... and the island itself begins shaking as gobs of zombie flesh and filth begin raining from the ceiling. (50 exp)
- Time to bounce, but first - loot! The pestle, the Necromancer's skull staff and grimoire, and a packet of cigarettes are looted. (50 exp)
- The island continues to fall to bits as the zombies lose cohesion. The party manage to reach the surface in time to get crushed in, like what happened to John Snow after the Battle of the Bastards. (50 exp)
- Castigate discovers he's got new powers - Ghost Duel allows him to challenge a foe to single combat in the Ghost Dimension (50 exp)

- The Alabaster Oracle is pleased that they seized the Pestle! One down, two to go! They let her look after it for them. (50 exp)

- A shopping spree ensues as the party gear up for the next fetch quest item, and it turns out Construct Wars is on in the arena! (50 exp)
- Gambling, tripped up by more poor grasp of my own rules, ensues! (50 exp)
- It's Lance Corporeal vs Team Euphemism, with Lance Corporeal eventually seizing the day! Much money is won! (50 exp)

- Rake and Raaf philanthropise with their winnings. Such generosity! Rake's contribution is particularly well received and yet another statue to Rake is built in the town. He's really good at branding, I'll give him that. (50 exp)

Total: 2000 exp

Misc:
- Absolutely Disgusting bonus (50 exp)
- Aggressive Negotiations bonus (50 exp)

- Balls to the Wall bonus (50 exp)
- Bookworm bonus (50 exp)
- Breach and Clear bonus (50 exp)
- Brutal Kill bonus (50 exp)
- Classic Charles bonus (50 exp)
- Dramatic Battle bonus (50 exp)
- Dramatic Escape bonus (50 exp)
- Fame bonus (50 exp)
- Gambling Problem bonus (50 exp)
- Ludicrous Gore bonus (50 exp)
- Pundemonium bonus (50 exp)
- Spoopy bonus (50 exp)
- Tactical Fighting bonus (50 exp)
- WWE bonus (50 exp)

Total: 800 exp

Party Roles and Individual Exp:
- Remembrancer (Tom / Rake - 100 exp)
- Caller (Henry / Blue Jon - 100 exp)
- Treasurer (Fraser / Nix - 100 exp)
- Quartermaster (-)
- Guard (James / Raaf - 100 exp)
- Tracker (Charles / Zena - 100 exp)- Art Attack bonus (Tom - 100 exp)
- Artapalooza bonus (Tom - 100 exp)
- Attacco d'Arte bonus (Tom - 100 exp)
- Fiction Fanatic bonus (Tom, Henry - 100 exp)
- Philanthropy!
  - Rake philanthropised! (Rake - 1915 exp)
  - Raaf philanthropised! (Raaf - 496 exp)

Death Toll and Injuries:

- None! Despite some general paralysis

Exp Totals:
- Fraser / Nix Neckbiter, Level 5 Barbarian: 28900 (Level up at 32000)
- Tom / Rake Hacker, Level 5 Fighter: 29813 (Level up at 32000)
- Henry / Blue Jon Goujon, Level 5 Magic-User: 26606 (Level up at 36000)
- Kitty / POWERLAD!, Level 5 Muscle Wizard: 25635 (Level up at 36000)
- Charles / Zena, Level 5 Fighter: 22170 (Level up at 32000)
- James / Raaf van Held, Level 4 Fighter: 12437 (Level up at 16000)
- Andy / Carrie Meleste, Level 4 Cleric: 12202 (Level up at 14000)

- Eglė / Bob, Level 1 Dwarf: 434 (Level up at 2200)

Absent or Retired:- Ollie / Ollie's next character: +300 exp
- Ollie / Andromeda Spiderbite, Level 4 Muscle Wizard: 17372 (Level up at 18000)
- Will / Cecil Fulbright, Level 5 Cleric (Termaxian): 15063 (Level up at 28000)
- Tom / Insanity Mammoth, Level 3 Barbarian: 5192 (Level up at 8000)
- James / William Fox-Shitt, Level 3 Cleric (Zeanist): 4571 (Level up at 7000)