Session 191 - Into the Breach!

The tables have turned! Now it's Team Chaos who seem fairly safe in their dungeon bunker, while Team Law prepares for an assault on the angels at the top of the elevator shaft. At least you've made ratman friends!

Oh, and the Third Trumpet has blown so that's going to be fun...


POWERLAD gets into Vine.
Andromeda locks a door.
Zena presses all the buttons in the elevator.
Styx creates Iron Man armour for his son.
Ratimir sends his rats to their doom.
Flaming Fury headbutts an angel at ramming speed.

So many illustrations this week! Check these out!



- Ollie draws a throwback - Lulu escaping Mt Death Frost all those years ago





- And also does this amazing pixel POWERLAD!



Session 191 - Into the Breach!

Campaign Date:
Saturday, 28 April, 1601
Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Zodiac: Aries

New Backstory:
- Flaming Fury came across that big ol’ penis alien thing from a few sessions ago before anyone else did. It spoke inside her mind, offering companionship and safety… and awoke a strange power within her. (Once per session, cast a random spell)
- Andromeda fell out with the evil alternate timeline POWERLAD because she was being forced to marry him against her will. Why shouldn’t she be allowed to choose the POWERLAD she was to marry? That was the very day that our POWERLAD killed him and made Andromeda that not all POWERLADs were unworthy of her love… (One time: It turns out someone you don’t know here is your estranged buddy - “Wait, JOHN!?”. Up to you whether you’ve forgiven each other yet)

Treasure and Equipment:
-
Total: 0 exp

Enemies Defeated:
- 6 Angels, variously smashed and shattered (300 exp)
Total: 300 exp

Exploration:
- Explored 2 new dungeon areas (40 exp)
Total: 40 exp

Events:
- We begin with the players split into two teams as they were at the end of last session. Team Law is on the elevator, considering whether they should go up or down. Team Chaos is stuck under the big room full of angels. There are a few mysterious character disappearances due to missing players. (50 exp)
--- Team Law
- Zena, Flaming Fury, three surviving Dwarfs and Ratimir decide that they’ll follow the original plan and head up in the elevator to meet up with the others. (50 exp)
- The elevator ascends upwards, the singing of angels getting louder, until it stops in an open room! The room is larger than the elevator shaft and there are angels all over the place! Also noticed before shit gets real - some moss-covered corpses, one in the shape of a spider. (50 exp)
- There are two four-legged wing-cannon angels, a boss angel, and three of the normal spherical angels. Luckily Flaming Fury knows Angel so she steps forward… (50 exp)
- “ -- WE ARE HERE WITH A PRISONER FOR PROCESSING -- “ she sings… badly. Fuck. (50 exp)
- Stasis beams blast out from the angels’ wing-cannons, coring out the heart of one of the Dwarfs and sizzling as his whole body slumps forward onto the beam and sizzles it away! (50 exp)



- The other Dwarfs’ looks of shock are frozen to their faces as the beams lance straight through their skulls! (50 exp)
- Zena spams the Down button on the elevator control unit! Fuck! The Dwarf corpses drop down with them, their blood dripping through the platform energy field. Also on the elevator as it lowers - 3 basic Angels! (5 exp)



- Desperate battle ensues as the elevator quickly descends. Ratimir engages Rat Armour and his rats cover him. Zena manages to chop an Angel’s arm off. Above, the cannon angels move to fire down the shaft…
--- Team Chaos
- Down in the rocket exhaust pit, Styx has a zany idea he wants to try out. Using Turn-Light-Cold glyphs to change the metal pipes in the walls to water, then pouring that into moulds, he’ll be able to construct a suit of armour for Break. (50 exp)



- POWERLAD begrudgingly agrees to shape stone to Styx’s specifications, then leaves the goblins to it. (50 exp)
- Andromeda, meanwhile, has shimmied up the vent to scope out the situation in the hall above. (50 exp)
- The angels are singing up there, some of them have begun working on fixing the shattered launch apparatus while others guard the doors. Against the back wall is the undamaged metal vessel covered in strange greenery. (50 exp)
- She slides back down the hole and POWERLAD catches her at the bottom! He’s just worried in case she hurts herself… right? (50 exp)
- They look over at Styx and Break… and see a marvellous sight. Break is climbing inside a quadrupedal metal suit made of thick metal plate! It’s like Iron Man up in here. (50 exp)
- After fastening all the pieces together and ensconcing Break within… it’s ready to be activated! (50 exp)
- Break powers the Turn-Light-Mass glyph within - Turn Life - and the armoured suit comes to life! It says some strange words before falling silent - “Speed one terahertz. Memory one zettabyte.” Break now has power armour! (50 exp)



- POWERLAD and Andromeda look on in shock and then… (50 exp)
--- A Vision
- Your great head rising, long neck stretching, lava dripping from your flanks as you stretch your great wings and cast a shadow over the town below. Everything living is within your sight - a vast world of pulsing green. (50 exp)
- Under the soil, under the rock, pulsing far down below, the great tendrils of the great beast in the core of the earth. It is hurt, growing unchecked, infested with parasites. And yet it lives. (50 exp)
- In the distance, the vast shape of Ereshkigal, tearing at the vast thick shape of a vast prime tentacle. You awoke near-instantly, and yet the devourer of worlds has grown so strong so soon. (50 exp)
- Your great head turns to the north, to a black sun that burns in the northern sky. An unnatural sun, dim in your life-seeking senses. (50 exp)
- An impact! A streak of bright light from the sky. A spear from the horizon, impaling the sun, the spear hits and… (50 exp)



--- Team Law
- In the elevator, Zena thrusts her spear through one of the angels, yanks it out in a shower of sparks, and jabs it past Ratimir’s rat armour to knock the next angel off balance. Flaming Fury looks up and sees the beam cannons charging above. If there was any time for things to go to shit, it would be now. (50 exp)
- Something strange happens. At the same time as POWERLAD has his vision elsewhere in the dungeon, the angels above abruptly change their song. The angels in the elevator stop fighting in order to join the chorus. (50 exp)
- Flaming Fury hears: “ -- REPORT: STRIKE ON TARGET. TARGET DOWN. -- CAVEAT: TARGET REMAINS FUNCTIONAL. -- UNEXPECTED OUTCOME: PROPHECY CONFIRMED. TRUMPET SOUNDED -- “ (50 exp)
- This gives them the chance they need to finish off the Angels! Zena spams the down button before the doors can open, sending them back down to the terrarium level! (50 exp)
- Flaming Fury rams the head of her pickaxe into the elevator wall as it descends, lets the elevator drop a way, then wrenches it out and falls head-first towards an Angel! It looks up to track her and she smashes into its central eyes at ramming speed! The angel collapses as she stands, rubbing her iron-hard noggin. A “Dwarven Goodnight Kiss”. Fuck yea. (50 exp)
- Ratimir chucks a dog pelt at the last angel to blind it… but his rats have already chewed the shit out of that thing and it’s ineffective… or so it seems. The angel gets caught up in the holes, leaving it vulnerable! (50 exp)



- Zena smashes it with her spear and Ratimir takes his chance - wrapping a red flag around the end of the spear then helping Zena plant the spear into a weak point. As the angel falls back, the Red Flag of Ratssia is raised aloft!! (50 exp)
- Panting, the team looks up from the destroyed angels just in time to see that the elevator has reached the bottom level. Thank goodness! The door irises open. (50 exp)
- The door opens, flickering terrarium lights frame two Ratmen carrying a third between them. Around their feet, their rats swarm. “Oh thank goodness!” one says, “Our leader is hurt!” (50 exp)
--- Team Chaos
- POWERLAD pokes his head out of the vent, confirming Andromeda’s information. Two boss angels with their associated minions. One group guards the west side of the hall, the group to the east is coordinating the salvage of the launch apparatus. (50 exp)
- He slips out of the hole and sneaks towards the overgrown ship on the north wall. In his hand is a Plant glyph. If he can just stay out of sight… (50 exp)
- But no! An angel spots him, and the choir’s song changes! The beams begin to charge and his dives into the greenery, fast-casting the runes with dragon-given powers! (50 exp)
- The plants come to life around him, cocooning him in a wall of unfamiliar but rapidly-growing plantlife. Vines reach out towards the angels, flailing at them and distracting them as the angels form axe-limbs to chop their way through to him (50 exp)



- The rest of Team Chaos make a run for the exit! One of the doors on the east side of the room is unguarded due to the salvage operation, and they bumrush towards it! (50 exp)
- The angels are too distracted by POWERLAD to notice, especially since the runners are taking no evasive action! Styx slaps a hand to the door and it swishes open, letting mecha-Break and Andromeda pile through. (50 exp)
- POWERLAD takes his chance, expanding the greenery to form an escape hatch. He beats his powerful wings and bursts from amidst the plants! (50 exp)
- The angels barely have any time to react! POWERLAD blasts upwards, arcs across the huge room, folds his wings into a dive, and rockets straight towards the open door! (50 exp)
- Andromeda is there to catch POWERLAD as the door slides closed! They skid along the floor of the corridor beyond. He opens his eyes and looks into… the eyes of Styx. Oh. (50 exp)
- Over at the door itself, Andromeda has just punched it with her new Wizard Lock spell. Chains wrap around the door, grown from blackness, and hold it firm! (50 exp)
- POWERLAD picks himself up from Styx’s embrace, somewhat embarrassed. They take stock. (50 exp)
- There’s a another door in the side of this small stretch of corridor, ending at a T-intersection. A sort of wet slurping swishing sound can be heard from somewhere ahead. (50 exp)
- Other door it is. The metal panel of the door swishes to the side at a touch, and the calm singing of angels can be heard within. A door across the room opens and an angel carrying a cable walks in, humming to itself. (50 exp)
- It tries to connect the cable to a table in the middle of the room which is projecting a holographic sphere. It’s wrong the first way round, but somehow also the second way round. POWERLAD hefts his huge hammer… (50 exp)



--- Team Law
- The Ratmen are surprised and relieved to discover that the party has a fellow Ratman! Their rats chat to Ratimir’s, exchanging news from the front, while he talks to them. For once someone to talk to that doesn’t hate him on sight! (50 exp)
- They say their leader is hurt, bitten by a really big tick, and they’d heard the elevator is back in action! What a relief! They’re hoping to bring him to the surface and find help. (50 exp)
- They also ask about the spread of communism, since they’ve only been reborn from vats recently. Ratimir is evasive. The red tide of Ratssia moves… slowly. (50 exp)
- The unicorn people are their sworn enemies on this level, but they are powerful. Ratman goals are shifting from “defend this level” to “maybe just escape this dungeon”. The elevator would be perfect! (50 exp)
- Flaming Fury and Zena poke their heads into the elevator shaft to see if those angels are still up there… and have to pull their heads in quick as stasis beams blast down! (50 exp)
- Going up in the elevator is going to be a fish in a barrel situation. How are they going to get up there now? (50 exp)



- A zany plan is concocted. One of the destroyed angels is hooked out of the elevator shaft and sprung open. Ratimirs rats pile inside, and Flaming Fury sings up the shaft, “ -- SUSTAINED DAMAGE -- REQUEST SUPPORT -- “ (50 exp)
- Zena presses the elevator up button and the trojan angel ascends towards the angels above… (50 exp)
--- Team Chaos
- POWERLAD rushes towards the angel attempting to plug a cable into the hologram table! The angel happens to choose that moment to look at the end of the USB in confusion and the hammer smashes down right in front of it! The angel looks up in alarm! (50 exp)
- There are two more angels in the room. Break canters in with his mobile armour, jumps over the hologram table at the second angel... and beefs it. One of the rear legs gets caught and he stumbles embarrassingly. (50 exp)
- Styx follows after, leaps off the armour’s back, and flies towards the angel! Andromeda engages the third with her mighty fists. (50 exp)
- Break recovers and hammers at the angel with his hammer fists! POWERLAD finally manages to crush the angel he was fighting with his hammer, inflicting massive blows with enhanced strength. (50 exp)
- Andromeda’s in trouble, so POWERLAD leaps over the table and smashes it to pieces! As it falls apart he turns to her and winks, “hey babe”, sending her heart aflutter. (50 exp)
- Styx is in even more trouble, a swipe from the angel hits dead on and smashes him off his feet! He’s down, moaning, and Break stands astride him to protect him and smashes the angel’s eye in. (50 exp)
- With the angels dead, Styx pulls himself up and sits back against the edge of the hologram table. The hologram in the centre shows angels - rotating as they move in place. From the look of it, they’re live projections. (50 exp)
- As Styx recovers, POWERLAD pulls a layer of rock across the doors in case of angel attack. The team fiddles with various controls. Screens on the walls turn on - apparently surveillance images of this level of the dungeon! (50 exp)
- One of them shows an intriguing room. A pedestal connected to many cables… with a world map projected above it. Maybe it’s the control room! (50 exp)



--- Team Chaos
- The elevator reaches the top of the shaft. A defeated angel rocks lightly in the middle of the energy platform. The angels look at it confused. (50 exp)



- Suddenly swarms of rats burst out! They attack one of the beam angels, swarming over it, as the other angels open fire! (50 exp)
- One of the shots hits the very angel the rats are attacking, but the beam splits and scatters on impact leaving the angel unharmed! (50 exp)
- One of the swarms bites into an important component and the angel responds by spinning its upper hemisphere. The whole swarm is thrown at another angel and attacks! Rats fly through the air, teeth bared! (50 exp)
- The boss angel is taking a heavy toll. Countless rats are suspended in the air, held by the rapidly thinning stasis beams, tiny rat body parts raining down on the elevator disk. (50 exp)
- A final attempt at glory - the rats gambit to destroy or damage the angels. One swarm dives into the boss angel and is ground up within the swirling armour. Another swarm manages to disable a beam cannon wing. The last angel is left with severe bite damage. (50 exp)
- At the bottom of the elevator shaft there is a sombre mood. Blood and bits of rat rain down from above. The Ratmen look on in horror - so much bloodshed, and for what? (50 exp)



- We end with the party still split, but in a better position than they were previously. Team Law is still in the elevator, but the angels above are weakened and damaged. Team Chaos is still somewhere in the facility, but they’re in a defensible position. Things are looking up! (50 exp)
Total: 3750 exp

Misc:
- Absolutely Disgusting bonus (50 exp)
- Balls to the Wall bonus (50 exp)
- Best of Intentions bonus (50 exp)
- Better Part of Valour bonus (50 exp)
- Brutal kill bonus (50 exp)
- Classic Charles bonus (50 exp)
- Diplomancy bonus (50 exp)
- Doolittle bonus (50 exp)
- Dramatic battle bonus (50 exp)
- Dramatic Escape bonus (50 exp)
- Enmity Inciter bonus (50 exp)
- Henchman Abuse bonus (50 exp)
- Heresy bonus (50 exp)
- Long Deliberation bonus (50 exp)
- Ludicrous Gore bonus (50 exp)
- Mad Inventor bonus (50 exp)
- Master of Disguise bonus (50 exp)
- PETA bonus (50 exp)
- Pundemonium bonus (50 exp)
- Ridiculously Bad Rolling bonus (50 exp)
- Split the Party bonus (50 exp)
- Tactical Fighting bonus (50 exp)
- Trapsetter bonus (50 exp)
- What Could Possibly Go Wrong bonus (50 exp)
- Why Did You Say That bonus (50 exp)
Total: 1250 exp

Party Roles and Individual Exp:
- Remembrancer (Charles / Zena & Carter / Styx - 100 exp ea)
- Caller (Kitty / POWERLAD - 100 exp)
- Mapper (Carter / Styx - 100 exp)
- Treasurer (Charles / Zena - 100 exp)
- Quartermaster (Ollie / Flaming Fury - 100 exp)
- Guard (Kitty / POWERLAD - 100 exp)
- Tracker (Kitty / POWERLAD - 100 exp)

- Art Attack bonus (Carter, Ollie, Charles - 100 exp ea.) 

- Attacco d'Arte bonus (Ollie - 100 exp) 

- Attacco di Panico dell'Arte (Ollie - 100 exp) 

- Artapalooza bonus (Charles - 100 exp)

- Chippo Man bonus (Ollie*2 - 100 exp ea.)
- JÜGBRINGYR bonus (Charles, Ollie - 500 exp ea.)

Active Businesses:
- Knickers Gloves Bodices. Risky. 1020sp. (Ratimir)
- Blood Honey Healing 4 U (Co-dependent businesses)
--- Honey Healing. Safe. 1084sp. (Bertha)
--- Blood Honey 4 U. Safe. 10410sp. (Sir Robyn)

Rumours:
-

Death Toll and Injuries:
- Many many brave rats.

Exp Totals:
- Kitty / High Priest POWERLAD!, Level 7 Muscle Wizard: 124090 (Level up at 144000)
-- Devotee of Ninhursag, Bond 10 (-50% exp)
--- Andromeda, Level 4 Muscle Wizard: 9595 (Level up at 18000)
---- Devotee of Ereshkigal, Bond 3 (-20% exp) 

---- Devotee of Ninhursag, Bond 3 (-10% exp)
- Charles / Zena, Level 6 Fighter: 54303 (Level up at 64000)
- Carter / Styx, Level 6 Goblin: 52429 (Level up at 64000)
--- Break, Robo-Armoured Goblin Buddy 

- James / Ratimir, Level 6 Ratman: 33352 (Level up at 48000)
- Ollie / Flaming Fury, Level 5 Dwarf: 20579 (Level up at 35200)
-- Devotee of Ereshkigal, Bond 3 (-15% exp)

Absent or Retired:
- Suzie / Dumbledorris2, Level 4 Inheritor: 11739 (Level up at 18000)
- Henry / Witchfinder-Sergeant, Level 3 Cleric (Unorthodox): 6620 (Level up at 7000)
- Ollie / Synthia, Level 5 Inheritor: 24639 (Level up at 36000)
-- Devotee of Ninhursag, Bond 2 (-10% exp)
- Andy / Carrie Meleste, Level 6 Termaxian Cleric: 52811 (Level up at 56000)
--- 4 Henchmen Undeserving of Names, Level 0 Bootlickers
- Timothy / Spider Squad, Level 4 Spider Extras: 7366 (Level up at 12000)
- Timothy / Sir Robyn, Level 6 Magic-User: 60599 (Level up at 72000)
- Elias / Raivo, Level 1 Barbarian: 938 (Level up at 2000)
- Tom / Hacker's Halberdiers, Level 3 Extras: 5598 (Level up at 6000)
- Andrea / Marjorie, Level 1 Halfling: 1111 (Level up at 2000)
- Fraser / Mori, Level 5 Elf (Worriganger): 24025 (Level up at 48000)
- Issy / Sturdy, Level 2 Dwarf: 3596 (Level up at 4400)
- Tom / Clarence Eclair, Level 3 Specialist: 3040 (Level up at 6000)
- Tom / Aces Fontaine, Level 1 Specialist: 869 (Level up at 1500)
- Kitty / Bertha, Level 4 Necromancer: 9931 (Level up at 18000)
- Imran / Friar, Level 1 Magic User: 1040 (Level up at 2250)
- Yuri / Bjorn Gunnerson, Level 2 Barbarian: 2278 (Level up at 4000)
- Sunni / Larry's Legends, Level 1 Extras: 758 (Level up at 1500)
- Fraser / Tippin, Level 1 Ratman: 1458 (Level up at 1500)
- Tom / Meteor Power Shower, Level 2 Barbarian: 3061 (Level up at 4000)
- Nix's Retainer
--- Huz, Level 0 Hireling
- Tom / Spicy Mac, Level 2 Halfling: 3457 (Level up at 4000)
- Eleanor / Mugg, Level 2 Fighter: 2357 (Level up at 4000)
- Kyle / Gimlass the Brave, Level 2 Dwarf: 2257 (Level up at 4400)
- Amar / Amar's Cleric, Level 1 Cleric: 1413 (Level up at 1750)
- Ollie / Tremendo Picante, Level 2 Ratman: 2654 (Level up at 3000)
- James / Raaf van Held, Level 4 Fighter: 14838 (Level up at 16000)
- Eglė / Bob, Level 1 Dwarf: 434 (Level up at 2200)
- Will / Cecil Fulbright, Level 5 Cleric (Termaxian): 15063 (Level up at 28000)
- James / William Fox-Shitt, Level 3 Cleric (Zeanist): 4571 (Level up at 7000)