Heavy Metal: Flesh For The Spider Queen Part 11: Stare Into The Night
DECEMBER 12, 2016 / DREADPIRATESITE
Well, it looks like we have come to our last session of Flesh For The Spider Queen, at least for now. I'm leaving this base on Friday and not looking back. My players are either leaving to their next stations or staying on. I may be able to games with them later over Skype but for now I'm going to have to put this game on hold. But we managed to get one more game in and as expected this story for now ends on a very bleak note. But I'll get there. First we check back in with Tasitus and Danzig-I mean Dahl Zing! As they are hold up in an abandoned shack in Maerymida along with a giant squid, Dwayne, The Rock, Phyllis Morris, Thulk, and the 3 stone giants.
They wake up to the thunderous noise of the world ending as a massive shockwave emminates from the Undying Temple causing every dead body in Maerymida to rise as a revenant. The party then hears the cackling voice of Irae T'sarran in their minds as she boasts her victory having created her army and turned their allies into her servants. She also boasts that she could have the full force of her army obliterate them right now but they are not longer of consequence to her: only amusement…..
So they're boned. There's not much they can do. Thulk feels like they just make a break for it, but Dwayne and Tasitus point out that it's only a matter of time for this army to march on the surface and there will be no place to hide. Danzig feels their best bet is to make a bee line for the castle and take out Irae or die trying. Dwayne feels that there battle is hopeless but whatever. He will die fighting killing this monster that killed his friends and threaten so many.
They head out into the overrun city. The revenants are busy howling with rage and wandering in confusion to immediately notice them. They head in a straight line for the castle. The revenants begin to notice them but do not immediately attack. Upon reaching the edge of some of the larger building surrounding Castle Maerymida, they discover a wall of revenants waiting for them, smiling. The dead then part their hands out stretched making a path for the heroes. Irae is toying with them.
The revenants funnel them into a circular clearing with the crowd of revenants on all sides. The revenants then watch as Irae summons a cornugon, a horned devil, into the clearing to kill the heroes as the revenants howl and cheer for their blood. The devil proves to be a powerful foe that scatters most of the team and throws down bolts of lightening and fireballs on the giants. Phyllis manages to grievously wound the devil with her gas cannon, melting and bubbling it's skin off. The devil rewards her heroism with a bolt of lightening that kills her. The revenants drag her corpse into the ground so it may be carried off to join them in time. The giants bash the devil into the ground and the squid finishes it off by biting it's head off.
The revenants then scatter and move in random directions, allowing the team to move freely again for now. They continue into the alley ways of the larger buildings until they reach a larger city street a few blocks away from the castle. There waiting for them are five familiar revenants: Jonni, Granitos Of Legend, Larala Dumian, the Animal, and Elizabeth. Their bodies are mishapen and mauled according to how they died. Jonni, Elizabeth, and Animal cry out to Dwayne, Tasitus, and Phyllis telling them they are sorry but they can't control their actions. They beg them to stop them and stop Irae before it's too late….as against his will the Animal flies into a berserker rage…..
The fight was brutal. Initally the squid and the stone giants manage to dish out a ton of damage on the revenants when the squid grappled them and held them in place however this ended when Elizabeth with tears in her eyes transformed into a powerful fire elemental burning the squid before attacking it. The Animal went berserk and tore into the squid knocking it unconscious. It's body on fire burned to death a round later. The Animal then assaulted the stone giants while they smashed Granitos who managed to grapple and strength drain the other heroes.
Jonni and Dahl Zing traded blows as Dahl Zing attempted to take the Efreeti out of the fight but discovered many of his attacks had no effect on the revenant djinn. Mean Jonni blasted the Z warrior with his various fire attacks including scorching rays and copious walls of fire. His situations was exacerbated by Granitos who grappled and dragged him the walls of fire and their waves of heat.
Meanwhile Tasitus took on Larala with Lolth's dagger. He managed to hold his own against her with only a few scratches from her scimitar. Dwayne squared off against the fire elemental Elizabeth. With magma tears flowing down her cheeks she said she was sorry and begged for him to stop her. Dwayne sad but convicted agreed to help her. "I will make it quick" he said as they charged one another. Two of the Stone Giants managed to smash Granitos only for them to get mauled and cut down by the Animal. He did not kill them but critically wounded them and then charged the and attacked the next one. The last one standing managed to crush him into good but not before dropping him to 13 health with his two comrades dying. Dahl Zing managed to distracted Larala with an energy enabling Tasitus to break off and use his healing Lay On Hands touch to stablize the giants. One of them regained consciousness. Larala summoned a swarm of spiders to bite the crap out of Thulk. Tasitus stabbed the spiders to death.
Dwayne to firery blow after blow from Elizabeth but using his determination and rage endured and chopped into her holding his own. However in time her blows mortally wounded him with only his rage keeping him alive. She wept in misery unable to stop. Steadying himself Dwayne said, "It's alright Elizabeth….we'll go together. He charged in one more time, his sword strike 3 times, and with her stomach pierced she collapsed on the ground. Her fiery form began to disperse. She smiled up at him with relief and thanked him as she faded away. With tears and blood streaming down his face he charged and chopped into Larala giving the healthiest stone giant time to spatter Larala across the street.
Jonni's volley of fire was interrupted when he accidentally dropped a small fireball at his feet causing him to fall through the street into a pit. Dahl Zing used the opportunity to help the other fighters and even giving one of the stone giants one of his healing potions. During the chaos they did not notice a swirling mist rise up from Jonni's hole. With the other revenants slain, Dahl Zing approached the whole preparing to jump down and find Jonni. Dwayne joined him at his side, with only his adrenaline keeping him alive. Dahl Zing heard a whooshing noise as the revenant djinn took physical form behind him. It had turned into it's gaseous form to escape the pit undetected. The last thing Dahl Zing felt was the efreeti's massive burning fists striking and crushing his skull.
And so another Porter character dies. Killed by one of his previous characters yet again. And it looks like that's where the story shall end for now, at least until I can get more players. We are left on a bleak cliffhanger. Many of the original player characters and beloved NPCs are dead or revived as revenants. They are now horrible unwilling slaves of Irae T'sarran and are now part of her army of the dead poised to conquer all of Toril in the name of Kiranselee turning it into a dead world. Flutterbudgets is still weakened and dying at the gates of Maerymida, his body stiffening, his mind devoling into bloodlust and ravenous hunger for flesh. In time he will be unable to move, his mind will slip further and further into madness, and when it breaks his flesh will rot and he will rise again as a ravenous sentient vampire zombie. If Tasitus survives the fight it will be up to him, the demoralized Thulk, and 3 half dead stone giants to try and stop Irae T'sarran and her revenant army. Dwayne is locked in combat with Jonni but it mortally wounded. When the fight ends so will his rage and he will instantly die from his wounds, perhaps dying a standing death like the great warrior Benkei. If Jonni survives, Irae will continue to make devastating wishes each day, and tomorrow's wishes will be so terrible it may be the last needed for her victory and the last wishes made on Toril before the planet is annihilated in cosmic horrors. The last hope of the planet lies with Tasitus' desparate team and Manlius McMaximus and Moon Moon who are miles away in Szith Morcane unaware of the horrors that have befallen their allies and the horrors to come. But they may be all that is needed. Perhaps hope can found in the darkest places as the heroic revenants may find away to resist under Irae's noses while suffering her and Dorina's indignanties as their slaves and monster soldiers. And perhaps new heroes can fly in from afar and bring salvation to a dying world.
That closes the door on this story for now, but when I bring this game back with new players I will continue the story here. But for now a creeping dread mist falls on the world of Toril as hellish nightmares rise from below. As night falls on Toril one more time and the last time, chaos reigns…
Until next time, as Dio would sing:
Oh, no! It's the midnight hour! Don't open the door! Don't look to the edge of rainbows! Don't sleep anymore! Or you'll dream evil!
Edward "Dreadpirate" Peeler
