It's difficult for the dwarf to stare down the well into the darkness. A fetid, damp heat rises from the well that stings his eyes and nostrils.

But...when the mountains hide the sun's last rays and the village is still and deathly quiet, devoid even of the cricket songs on screeching of bats, he sees movement.

Over a dozen two-foot long chitinous masses with human heads, hissing and snarling.

Now is your chance to act before they spill out of the well.

"INCOMING!"

Urmdrak steps back to give way to the folk with the fire and the stones. Firmly grabbing his spear and shield, he gets in position to stab at anything that manages to crawl out of the well.

Chayce the hunter is grateful for Urmdrak's role. It must be uncomfortable to bend over the edge of the well for such an extended period of time. She thinks better of him for his contribution.

"Hit it, sweethearts," she says to Bradley the cooper and Ocrin the corn farmer, who have strong backs and are standing ready to tip a barrel full of rocks off the lip of the well down into the abyss below.

"Heave ho!" Bradley the cooper agrees.

"Yarr," Ocrin the corn farmer acknowledges.

They tip the barrel over the edge, then grab their weapons to club and stab anything that emerges. Shay the sharper also has a club that he slaps into hand in anticipation of violence. They stand near the edge of the well to limit the ability of the worms to spread out. Plus, if they swing and miss one worm then maybe they hit another.

Chayce has a torch which is lit so that the non-dwarves can see. She uses it to ignite a piece of fabric hanging out one of the flasks of oil. She readies to throw it.

With all their strength, the adventurers tip the barrel over, tumbling bricks and rocks down on the worms.

[Judge simulates sound of avalanche by rolling many dice across the table]

14:52, Today: The Judge rolled 10,17,8,5,7,20,17 using D20,d20,d20,d20,d20,d20,d20.  DC 10 rock trap vs worms. Worms have Ref+1 so treat as DC 9

14:51, Today: The Judge rolled 9,14,9,1,9,8,5 using D20,d20,d20,d20,d20,d20,d20.

15:09, Today: The Judge rolled 9,9,3,13,8,2,4 using d20,d20,d20,d20,d20,d20,d20 ((9,9,3,13,8,2,4)).

The rocks pelt 10 of the worms.

14:57, Today: The Conductor rolled 3,3,1,4,3,6 using d6,d6,d6,d6,d6,d6 ((3,3,1,4,3,6)).

15:10, Today: The Judge rolled 6,2,3,4 using d6,d6,d6,d6 ((6,2,3,4)).

As the splashes of falling rocks reverberate up from the well, eight worms shriek as they tumble into the dank waters.

There were over two dozen worms ascending, now a dozen and a half are left.

Are you throwing the oil down the well or waiting until they reach the top?

Chayce's intention is to throw the oil into the well but not down the well. Her goal is to create an intense patch of flame rather than a diffuse one that's spread out over a greater area. She would prefer to spike a flask into the opposite wall of the well - maybe down enough where burning oil won't splash up toward the defenders around the rim - and to engulf a couple of the beasties in oil. With luck, perhaps the other worms will be channeled to the other side of the well wall, clustering them together to be easier targets.

Jack adds his own fiery flask of oil going down into the well then retreats before the swarm appears.

Seeing Chayce and Jack's plan, Urmdrak takes half a step forward, shield still up, and gets into a closer position. The only thing worst than a brain eating worm jumping for your face was a brain eating worm on fire jumping on your face. He had no intention to let any of the wretched things reach either of the two dumping the oil, his spear ready. He let out a chuckle imagining the flaming worm hanging dead on his spear, like an overcooked sausage over a campfire. The context was lacking for his companions, who might question the dwarf's sanity at such a tense moment.

The lining of both inner sides of the well is now ablaze, becoming an unholy bonfire in the darkness. The mucousal slime sizzles and sputters, making the stench of the well somehow even worse.

21:09, Today: The Judge rolled 5 using 1d6 ((5)).

The flames engulf the rest of the worms, their humanoid faces scream in agony as they slip and drop like flaming dollops of candle wax into the bottom of the well. Smoke lingers from the belly of the ancient structure as the oil spreads across the surface of the fetid water and continues to burn.

[3XP to all party members for ingenious handling of a deadly swarm with no injuries]

"Ha haaa!" cries Jack, patting Chayce on the shoulder.
"Well done, friend! WELL DONE! First SPLAT then SIZZLE! Hee hee! And not a scratch on us!"

"Indeed," says Pyke appearing beside Jack. Good show, friend. It seems we're in competent hands at last. You've handled this situation most.. admirably." he adds through a smile so tight his face looks close to tearing.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:09, Fri 17 Mar 2023.

Chayce does not do a very good job of hiding a smug grin. She readily accepts the congratulations, but she tries to share some of the praise.

"Well done, Master Urmdrak," she says. "Your dwarven eyes made it possible to fire with effect.

"And thank you, Bradley, for your barrel."

Bradley looks proud. "Barrel'll solve a lot of problems," he says. "Need a floatation device? Barrel. Need to go over a waterfall? Barrel. Need to shoot fish? Barrel."

Ocrin looks unconvinced but leans on his pitchfork and says, "Yarr" perhaps out of social kindness.

Sharper looks over the edge of the well. "Meybe that'll clear out some of the stink," he says, his nose wrinkling. He spits down the well at the burning corpses, perhaps looking disappointed that he didn't get to smash anything with his club.

"We must press our advantage," Chayce tells the others, "once the fires burn down and no longer threaten us. If there is a nest, we must burn it out. If there is a queen, she must be slain. If there are eggs, we must smash every one. We must end the menace once and for all."