After what might be a year in the Well, the PCs are finally at their destination—the Center. This is a mile-tall tower of stone; a gret spire of rock rising out of the ocean and surrounded by smaller spires (the so-called “Teeth”) and numerous reefs and rocks. Conan fearlessly leads his fleet into this tangle and the hundred plus ships land on the island at the spires base. One can only imagine the battle taking place, as the PCs make their own assault at around 2,500 feet, piloting the Winnebago towards one of the upper hanger entrances, where gun and troopships are seen to exit and enter.
The party numbers 10. They are: Billy Jo Earl Brown, Calvin Murdoch, Cyan Chartreuse, Donovan Knigh, Edward Aldrich, Marcus Dreamseed Anderson, Vilgerther, Captain Jiranee Jenvirava, and Edward’s three new ‘squires;’ Arunkumar, Shyam Susheela, who joined the group back in Merikano.
The Winnebago doesn’t survive the initial assault and is left a burning wreck at the mouth of the hanger bay. The PCs, undeterred, press on, passing through several bays and seeing numerous airboats, gunships, and the like either ready for use or under repair and/or construction. Of defending gator-troopers, however, there is no sign.
Finally the PCs come to the last hanger and spot a barricade built across the far end. It is made of the same white bio-plastic sheeting that everything else the gator-troopers use made from and is supplemented by strangely glowing and rippling blueish panels (or energy fields.) There is a gate visible in the barricade, flanked by two small turrets mounting what look like paired energy weapons.
Both Donavan and Edward decided to lead the assault, figuring their speed and agility would allow them to draw fire without being hit. As they approached, the turrets opened up, manifesting targeting lasers that attempted to track the agile aerialist and the dashing swordsman. Soon after, the gates opened and some of the largest and bulkiest gator-troopers yet seen appeared, carrying heavy-barreled energy weapons to one side of the body. Soon, all was confusion, with energy bolts flying in all directions, both from the emplaced gator-troopers and from the heroes. Marcus managed to destroy one turret, while Cyan shot another. Edward was blasted point-blank by one of the heavy gator-gunners, while Donovan tangled with a gator-trooper armed with some sort of incendiary device. Calvin used his ability to manipulate time to appear behind enemy lines, then stopped time long enough to eliminate to snipers.
Soon new troops appeared, including a pair of attackers with gravatic jump packs (apparently based off of the same technology that enabled vehicles like the Winnebago to fly. These two carried heavy plasma weapons and looked capable of wiping out most of the PCs, until taken down by Cyan, and Marcus. Billy Jo eliminated one of the heavy gunners, then made short work of other support troops behind the barricade. Soon, all was taken care of, expect for one trooper who appeared out of thin air behind Cyan. His killing strike was deflected by her armor, however, and he was quickly dispatched.
Collecting gear, patching up the injured, and a short breather later, the PCs made their way deeper into the Center. The hanger led to a series of passages that eventually connected to a tall narrow cylinder of a room, that reached upwards for a hundred feet or more. The floor of the chamber had three additional exits, huge windows in the walls, and a lot of unknown technology about. At best guess, most of the hardware was some sort of life-support devices for the hundreds and hundreds of pods seen out through the windows. It seemed that many of the strange chimera encountered in the Well (such as Water People and Serpent People) were made, here in the Center. It is also possible that the gator-troopers are grown here as well.
Since the best bet was to go up, the PCs started to mount the spiral stairs when strange noises where heard through the corridors. Animal noises, perhaps, as well as shrieks, raspy breathing, and the like.
While spreading out on the next floor up, Captain Jiranee was struck by what appeared to be a length of intestine. It tightened around her and started to pull her towards the railing, but Donovan cut her free. Soon after, a horribly deformed Leaping Person struck out at Donovan, a second one dropped down towards the lower level, and weird, twisted abominations exited the various corridors, all apparently seeking to attack.
While the PCs easily dispatched most of their attackers, two required extreme measures. One was a thin and sickly female Hunting Person, who stumbled out of a corridor in front of Calvin. He initialy went to help, but backed up when he saw her red eyes, foot-long claws, and felt the heat coming off from her body. Once again stopping time, he cut her throat. The other was a huge humanoid, fully eight feet tall. This immense individual punched Billy Jo through a window and out into the rows of growing tanks and took the combined firepower of the entire team to take down. However, once he (it?) was down, the attacks seemed to come to an end.
Notes
1) The gator-troopers guarding the hanger were physically different than the ones you’ve seen before. Either bigger, or stronger, or quicker, or a combination there of. They also had weapons unlike any you’d seen before.
2) It is unclear if the tanks seen are only for chimera or if everyone in the Well is grown in them. What little was seen through the windows showed only chimera.
3) All of the strange attackers in the second wave looked to be forms of people you’d seen in the Well. However, none of them seemed to have any trace of sanity, and most looked to be terribly deformed. The most normal looking one was the Hunting Person Calvin dispatched, and even then ‘normal’ is a relative term.
You’ve met the following people:
Arunkumar: a male Hunting Person with tan skin and shoulder-length long hair. He (and his two companions) all dress in similar fashion—cotehardie, thick woolen hose, and low leather boots. He (and his companions) also wear steal breastplates, sallets, leather and steel arm and leg harness, and carry hand-and-a-half swords. As for Arunkumar himself, he’s the leader (or sorts) of the trio of squires and rather devoted to the idea of being Edward’s faithful student.
Shyam: A male Running Person with light brown skin and straw-colored hair. He’s armed, armored, and dressed as noted, expect his boots are knee-high and his hose is lined inside the thighs to resist wear when he runs. He’s also rather inquisitive and curious and tends to be the one mostly likely to suggest a new course of action to the trio.
Susheela: A female Furred Person with gray fur and tail and a golden mane. She dresses as noted, except her boots come up to mid-thigh and she wears simplified articulated metal armor over her knees. She’s notable for having a fine singing voice, but tends to be shy about using it in front of strangers.
Return to The Well Of The Worlds