Pulp Alley's Perilous Island Campaign, Chapter 10 -- HELL UNLEASHED
…Stumbling from the entrance of the Temple of Ba’al Enoch is Lord Darrow. In his arms, he clutches an orb of pure Perilium. Worshipped as a god by the ancient Enocheans, the stone glows and pulses with unimaginable power.
Strange ghostly vapors lash out from the stone and are absorbed into Lord Darrow’s flesh, each wracking his body with crackling energy. Once a man of proud stature and reputation, the twisted form staggering towards you now is a wild-eyed mocking parody of Darrow’s human existence. Covered in painful blisters and burns, his face contorts with madness and rage as he screams.
“You should not have come. It is too late for me. Go now! You all shall be destroyed...” With each word Darrow’s form suffers horrific mutations, sprouting sickening tumorous growths. In mere seconds, the horrific transformation is complete. “I am the Thrice-Damned Wanderer!” he bellows in a strange echoing guttural voice.
Everywhere around you, the very elements of nature are being torn asunder, as they bend to the Wanderer’s will. Now is the time to act and there is not a second to spare...
The Elder Stone (Plot Point) — Attached to the creature that was once Lord Darrow, the glowing orb throbs beneath fleshy membranes. Ripping the stone from its host is the only way to save Darrow and/or gain the power for yourself. Freeing the Elder Stone from the Wanderer’s gooey innards, as massive tentacles thrash around, is extremely perilous.
“The whole god-forsaken place stank worse than death –fetid and acrid to the point that it burned my nostrils, choked my throat, and blurred my vision. There is nothing of this world that could live in such a place, not a goddamn thing!”
Turn 1 — The sun is partially obscured by thick volcanic clouds and the ground shakes violently all across the island...
Unnoticed by her enemies, Badonka’s shadowy form slinked quietly through the ruins…
Together with his loyal Sidekick, Hook moved quickly through the twisted ruins and ever closer to his hideous goal…
Gale force winds whirl around The Wanderer, violently hurling dirt and dangerous debris through the air...
Huge chunks of earth rise into the air, leaving deep craters scattered across the ground...
Driven into a frenzy by unknown powers, the invaders fight like they are possessed…
Hook raced recklessly towards the strange creature, when a huge chunk of earth broke loose and rose into the air before him...
Leaping back in surprise, Hook kept his footing but his eyes grew wide as he watched his quarry rise high into the air…
Molten lava bubbles up from the ground. The area within 18” of the Wanderer remains extremely perilous.
• If a character is still on the ground, they must immediately attempt to climb onto a floating boulder when they activate. Pass a random challenge or be removed from play.
Disregarding his sidekick’s warning to be more cautious, Hook bravely leaps over the rising lava to grab ahold of a floating boulder.
The player draws a random peril from the top of the deck and only needs to roll 1 success with Might. That should be quite easy with Hook’s 3d10 Might, but sometimes the dice just don’t roll like they expected.
The fact that the random peril happened to be named “Warmed Up” suddenly seemed quite appropriate as Hook falls back into the lava and is immediately removed from play…
Showing she is equally ruthless Hook’s sidekick uses his crumbled body to get a boost up to the boulder…
By this time, Pulp Girl and her sidekick, and Badonka are well on their way climbing their way up the boulders – and continue shooting at each other all the while…
Powerful lightning bolts flash from the heavens and disintegrate two of the flying boulders…
Undaunted by the exploding boulders, the brave adventures continue ever upwards – with guns blazing all the way…
One last desperate leap and Pulp Girl reach the top!
Pulp Girl sinks her hands deep in the slimy creature and rips the elder stone free. VICTORY! …
…wrenching the orb from the Wanderer’s slimy innards, the reverse-transformation is almost instantaneous. Lord Darrow collapses into a heap, crippled by the ordeal. The sight of his daughter, Elaine, brings a human quality back to his eyes as he breathes his final breath.
With Lord Darrow’s passing, the Elder Stone ceases to glow and within seconds crumbles to dust. As if the crumbling orb were a death rattle, the island shakes violently, and ashen smoke billowed from the volcano!Next up, the thrilling conclusion… CHAPTER 11 -- ESCAPE FROM PERILOUS ISLAND
14 July 2006, 02:47:33 PM