Ellara of the Hundred Forms |
"Well, that's unfortunate." Ellara mused, heading over to the door that hadn't been opened yet and pushing that open to see if the last chamber matched the first two.
Ellara of the Hundred Forms |
"Well, that's an ominous thing to put on a box." Ellara said, not touching it. She did, however, form a pair of wings and start flapping them, trying to blow off the dust without setting anything off. But in all seriousness, that phrase practically screamed trouble, like having the box magically warp back to the plinth, or summoning up some kind of powerful ghost lord, or who-really-knew-what.
Maybe there was a ten-foot pole around here somewhere...
Overlord Jon |
The box radiates conjuration and divination magic. The conjuration seems to be forming a protective seal, while the divination is blocking any information on the boxes contents. Neither seems harmful, however, unless you try to break the box. If there is a trap, it's not magical in nature.
Overlord Jon |
Nothing of note happens. Julie is able to lift the box with no issues, and the way back seemed largely clear if returning now was what you wanted to do. Of course, there seemed to be more of the city to explore, if that was what you preferred...
Ellara of the Hundred Forms |
As interesting as exploration was, rescuing the princess was clearly their priority - something Ellara didn't hesitate to point out. (First of all, she wanted to help the girl. Second of all, NOT prioritizing the princess could make the royal family very upset, and that could be trouble in its own right...)
Julie Dei Vult |
"We've already scored some decent loot, I certainly don't mind heading back." Julie pats the enchanted dwarven weapon she had snagged.
Ready to timeskip to ambush or delivering the box as required.
Overlord Jon |
It doesn't take long to return to the portal, nor does it take long to return to Whisp. For a moment the man seems excited as he clutches the box, but you can read in the slump of his shoulders that he is...less than pleased.
"'To my house, am I bound.' I assume that would be enough, for such as yourselves." He held up the box, showing you the lid - with the words 'To my house, I am bound' written across the top. "Needless to say, this is not what I seek." Settling back into his chair, he placed the box aside. "What do you propose we do to finalize this situation? I wish no ill will between us, but this will not buy what you sought."
Overlord Jon |
Whisp glanced at the box, and tossed it to Julie. "That would be...preferable. But please understand my reservations. The spells to get you to the city costs currency, after all. I do hope we will not have another...mix up? When you are ready, you may return the same way again."
Julie Dei Vult |
"Aww.. I'll admit, I was trying to test you to see if you actually did want this little box. That place was awfully dusty. But princess or not, I'm already making bank on this trip. Speaking of money, presuming we search that place again and don't find what you're looking for, how much would you want to be reimbursed to be square?"
Ellara of the Hundred Forms |
...I'm going to admit, PbP games are slow enough that I often forget specific objectives. XD *Plays in, and runs, quite a few games* It may help if our GM makes notes to help remind us of stuff, like "this is your objective" or "this is interesting, but now what you came to find".
Ellara listened patiently from the back, curious to see how their... informant... was reacting to all of this.
Overlord Jon |
Usually I'd consider it, or at least keep things general enough that the details aren't vital...but on this occasion, it was a specific trap that changes how things go a bit depending on if you caught on or not.
Kiyomi. |
Which was really annoying, since we weren't expecting it to be the game that has these kinds of traps. And of course, now that we know that it's that kind of game, we need to keep track of every tiny detail so that we don't get screwed over again. Which definitely tips the meter away from "fun" and towards "pain in the rear".
Julie Dei Vult |
Seeing that Lady Karnelia has that look on her face like she discovered something but hasn't said anything yet, Julie decides to open the box that Whisp has said is theirs now. Or at least, that's Julie's takeaway.
Lady Karnelia |
Which was really annoying, since we weren't expecting it to be the game that has these kinds of traps. And of course, now that we know that it's that kind of game, we need to keep track of every tiny detail so that we don't get screwed over again. Which definitely tips the meter away from "fun" and towards "pain in the rear".
I second this point strongly.
"Let us go back, then. That box will not find itself."
Once the party is out of hearshot, Lady Karnelia relays her impressions.
"Be on your guards. Our 'friend' is desperate for that box, I can tell that much. I'm definitely not certain we can fully trust him."
Sorry for delaying. It's a crazy time at work and I keep forgetting my games.
Ellara of the Hundred Forms |
I don't feel strongly either way, mostly 'cuz I'm a pretty relaxed person that way, but it's probably for the best. XD
"Hard to trust anyone." Ellara mused thoughtfully. "In some situations, at least." Once they'd returned to the city, though, she wandered back to the interesting door she'd been at before, intending to go through this time.
Marked on map. Complete with arrows. XD
Julie Dei Vult |
Julie sets the box down, stamps her boot on it to keep it steady, and lines her sword on it carefully. The idea here is to have her foot there so that she can press Kraken's flat against it for precision, so that the teeth are cutting into the box just shy of one of the edges, hopefully not damaging what's inside. With a crackle of arcane energy, the teeth come to life.
Base Slashing Damage: 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (6, 3) + 5 = 14
1's 2's become 3's slashing Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 3) = 10
25
Lady Karnelia |
Going a little off the beaten path on mechanics here, but I figure it's worth a try.
Lady Karnelia whispers a few incantations, and maintains a light touch on Julie's shoulder as she works on the box. A faint glow envelops them both, and Julie feels as though an unseen force was helping guide her movements slightly more precisely.
Maintaining 'Guidance' on Julie as she works the box.
Ellara of the Hundred Forms |
Ellara watched as they worked to open the box, seeming faintly amused... but she did keep well back from it, just in case it went boom. (That was more of a habit than anything else - something you learned in the House of Magic. Anything someone messed with could go boom.)
Overlord Jon |
With a flash of mutlicoloured sparks the magical protection around the box flashed out of existence, and the box popped open, the lid leaping into the air before settling, obviously still open. It was somewhat unfortunate that it was now between the legs of a tall figure, wrapped in hooked chains. Pale skin covered in hideous scars peeks through the gaps in the chains, but it's the four floating around the figure, flowing in a gentle pattern, that really catches your eye.
Ellara: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Karnelia: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Julie: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
Kiyomi: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Kyton: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
With a rushing clank of metal, the four chains shot out, one at each of you.
Chain (Ellara): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19
Damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (3, 1) + 2 = 6
Chain (Karnelia): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19
Damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (2, 3) + 2 = 7
Chain (Julie): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20
Damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (1, 1) + 2 = 4
Chain (Kiyomi): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15
Damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (3, 3) + 2 = 8
Remember, you were flat-footed. Party is up.
Lady Karnelia |
Lady Karnelia stumbles back from the blow, giving a pained shriek. Frightened by the fiendish creature suddenly so close, she seems overtaken by an unseen force. Her eyes glaze over, and her arm limply reaches for the demon.
"By the haunts! Fiend! Stand down!" Karnelia raucously orders.
Phantom Touch: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Ectoplasm forms around her in a protective sheet, and echoes of Little Sister's voice float on the air.
For the next hour, Karnelia is protected by Ectoplasmic Armor (+4 Armor). For the next round, she is also protected by a +4 shield bonus from Bonded Manifestation.
Ellara of the Hundred Forms |
The chain struck her, and as it did, Ellara whirled around and pitched a bolt of force magic through the air. Those chains looked nasty, and she didn't want to risk running through them... but attacking from a distance ought to work.
Ranged Touch: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
...Hm.
My gut says that's a miss. XD 5d8 force damage otherwise.