At the end of the "Encounter at Blackwall Keep" adventure of The Age of Worms adventure path, our heroes fall to restless sleep after defending the Keep from four Spawn of Kyuss in the basement.

 

(Quoted DM letters)

 

 

Croidhamsa

 

You find yourself walking through your favorite clearing in the woods. Golden pre-twilight sun plays across the grass and leaves. Your enjoyment of the crisp forest air is quickly interrupted by a woman crying and coughing. Running to her, you ask her what is wrong. The woman looks up at you with deep, soulful brown eyes, and you recognize her from your studies as a dryad. Between sobbing coughs, she begs for your help. Following her back to her tree, you immediately spot it for what it is: the tree shows all the signs of disease. You can almost feel the tree's pain, like it's reaching out for your help. As your fingers are just about to touch the diseased tree, a large portion of bark, the size of a tower shield, sloughs off with a small wave of green worms. You feel your stomach twist as you watch the worms crawl and writhe in and around the tree.

 

Suddenly, you feel one fall onto your shoulder, crawling toward your neck. You look to the sky from whence it came while brushing the worm away. With a loud crack, a limb from abovefalls away, landing squarely on your shoulder, knocking you to the ground. Struggle as you might, you are unable to push the heavy branch off of you. Calling out to Insight to run, you notice him, unmoving, as the dryad crouches over him. She then walks, apparently free of pain, and then crouches over you. With a menacing glare and a sadistic smile, she says,

 

"Don't worry, it only hurts for the first few minutes..."

 

She then opens her mouth, releasing a stream of green worms to flow over you. You feel the pinpricks of dozens of bites as everything blurs, and fades to black.

 

 

 

Thomas

 

You wake up, and lift your head off of the book it had been resting on. It was the Ecology of the Annis Hag. You stand up wearily, and rub your eyes, as they adjust to the candlelit library of Allustan's. You look around you at the large piles of books you have been looking through... for them... "Thomas, why are you so greedy?" "Thomas, make us magic items!" "Thomas, how can you be so mean?" They don't understand... They've never taken the fabric of Reality and bent it to their will...

 

Shaking such thoughts from your head, you stand to retire to your room. You blow out the final candle, and pause. You hear a faint rustling in the darkness behind you. Casting the cantrip you've known by heart for years, you re-light the candle. By its faint orange glow, you see worms crawling in, around and through the books in the library. You chant the arcana words to the elemental planes of air and water, resulting in a blast of icy power, freezing the worms.

 

Oddly, your arms refuse to rest at your side as your nose is assaulted by the stench of decaying flesh. Slowly, Allustan enters your peripheral vision. He stands in front of you and his eyes begin to yellow, and his irises turn the sickly green of Black Dragon eyes.

 

"Don't worry, Thomas, it only hurts the first couple of minutes..."

 

Worms begin to crawl from his beard as he empties a large flask of green-tinted water down your throat. You feel several lumps in your throat crawl and then pierce, your vision grows blurry, and everything goes black.

 

 

 

Chaim

 

You open your eyes to find yourself in the woods outside of Diamond Lake. It's night, and the mist obscures your vision. You hear the cry of a young girl in the distance, echoing toward you. Soon, you see Melantha run by you, followed closely by a half-man, half-spider creature. It seems as though you're moving in slow-motion, as the creature runs past you. Swinging your arm wide, you release a javelin, and it hits the beast square in the back as it coccoons the small child. After a short exchange of blows you kill the spider creature, and run to Melantha's aid.

 

Cutting open the coccoon, she coughs and looks weak. She barely rasps that her father is in danger, and very weakly points to the east. Running to the east, you come to a large man-sized coccoon. Swinging your sword wide, you slice open the coccoon, releasing a wave of green worms and a decicated husk of a body. You suddenly realize that your search is at an end. Paralyzed with fear, you hardly notice the webbing wrap around you. Looking back over your shoulder, you see Melantha slowly forming into an all-too-familiar woman with a spider's lower body. The last thing you see before your face is covered with webbing, is your father's body beginning to stand. You hear Melantha's voice, tinged with spite and malevolence...

 

"Don't worry, silly child, it only hurts for the first few minutes..."

 

You then feel dozens of pinpricks all over your body, as worms burrow through the coccoon and into your flesh.

 

 

 

Fern

 

You open your eyes to darkness and cold, stale air. Suddenly, there is a beam of light focused on you, revealing the stage of the Emporium. You hear music begin to play, and your body begins to go through the motions of your routine. A second light comes on, revealing a young girl in a similar costume as your own. The two of you dance in concert, destroying bats, vermin, and small wooden targets. The routine reaches its climax as the entire room lights up. Harry, dressed in a bright red and yellow outfit, stands up a large melon. With a wide overhead swing, you bring your spiked chain down, shattering the melon.

 

You are immediately taken agast as you notice that there is no melon, only a burst of worms, arching over the audience. The audience immediately begins to shriek and yell. Your mind screams to run forward and help them, but your legs refuse to respond. Tears well in your eyes as you are forced to watch people yell and fall over, dead. You feel lizard claws grab your arms as you notice the dead bodies begin to stand up again. Harry turns you around and looks you in the eyes. In sinister draconic he begins speaking,

 

"Don't worry, Fern, it only hurts for the first couple of minutes..."

 

He then leans over you, worms crawling from his nostrils, and from the corner of his mouth. As he opens his mouth, a stream of worms begin to pour out over your face and chest. You feel dozens of pinprick bites, and everything blurs with excruciating pain, then goes black...

 

 

 

Vincent

 

You open your eyes as the smell of sea air and salt water fills your nose. Your eyes adjust after only a moment and you are surveying your ship from the crow's nest.

 

"We're gaining on them, Captain!" comes the call from below. Looking down at the source, you see Chaim at the front of the ship, pointing to the merchant vessel ahead. It was the ship pf "Baron" Tavaldi Marckonus, corrupt merchant with alleged dealings with the Ebon Triad. You effortlessly slide down the rigging to take command of the wheel as the rest of the party make preperations to board Marckonus' ship. Your ship glides gracefully over the gap to the "Baron's" vessel. You spot Tavaldi running into his cabin, and make chase while the party dispatches the crew.

 

After exchanging quips and one-liners, you draw your blades and begin dueling Tavaldi. After a long, vicious battle, you plnge your blades deep within his heart, and he falls limp to the ground. No sooner does he hit the ground do your eyes fall upon a beautiful gold-trimmed chest. Opening it, you run your hands through the platinum and gemstones in the chest. Looking over your shoulder, you see the party walking in to join you. When you look back, you notice only wriggling, writhing green worms in your hands and in the chest. Strong hands grab your shoulders and begin pushing you forward. You notice only the chest od dark wood and steel bindings. Nailed on it is the screaming skull, infested with worms, embossed on a steel plaque. As your face is submerged in the writhing, green mass, you hear Talin's voice from above you:

 

"Don't worry, Vincent, it will only hurt for the first couple of minutes..."

 

 

 

Talin

 

You open your eyes after momentary rest at the Able Carter Coaching Inn. After your quick breather, you continue on your busy, hectic night. You are exhausted after the long night of ass-smacks and cat-calls. After your usual goodnights, you drag yourself home to your family sitting around the dinner table.

 

Tarn motions for you to sit down and join them. Barthis begins asking you about your day. You regail him and Tarn about your adventures, excitedly  motioning. Barthis patiently waits until you finish, and stands up unaided. Pacing around the table, he begins to tell you about his dreary day, working his life away in the mines.

 

 

After a long, awkward silence, Tarn begins talking about his walk in the woods. He tells you about a sick deer he found. "It was laying on the ground, anf crying in pain. Then it stopped moving, and green worms began carawling out of its mouth..."

 

As Tarn is talking, Barthis walks behind you. Sylva walks out from the kitchen, carrying a silver tray. She removes from the tray four covered plates, laying them on the table. She lays your plate down last and grabs your arm. Shocked. and unable to free yourself from her grasp, Barthis holds your other arm.

 

"... then it got up, and I tried to run, but it was too fast..."

 

Tarn lifts the cover off the plate to reveal roast, rotting and filled with green worms. He cuts off a small chunk and offers it over to you.

 

"Don't worry, Sis. It only hurts the first couple of minutes..."

 

He then forces open you mouth and force-feeds you bites until the sne gets blurry, then goes black...

 

 

 

Filge

 

((To Be Added))

 

 

 

 

Motey

 

Most of the party share their nightmares (Chaim and Fern keep theirs to themselves). "Motey, did you have a nightmare?" asks Talin. Motey nods with a little gutteral hiss. "Were there worms?" Motey shakes his head. He removes his cards from his hiding spot and shuffles through them expertly, producing "No" and then "Worms." The party is confused.

 

"No worms, Motey?" Chaim asks. Motey shakes his head again. "I.... then what was it about?" Motey tilts the cards to emphasize his previous statement: "No worms." Vincent grins.

 

"Of course it was a nightmare! He loves the taste of the little buggers, isn't that right Motey?" Motey smiles and nods with another quick hiss. Breaking the horrid mood of things, the party laughs.