Rayquaza's fist solidly connects, but his roar seems to have no effect. A second later, the reason becomes evident; the beetle has been knocked out cold. Vagantem takes a single swipe at the next one, and if falls without need for a follow-up.
Dwarf Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer/4 | Init +5 | Per +8 | HP 30/30| AC 12, 11flat, 11touch | Fort +3 | Reflex +2 | Will +4 | BAB +2 | CMB +1 | CMD 12
Rgulbux runs after the group as fast as his stout legs can go. Once in range, he flings a glob of acid at the beetle with the yellow markings on its carapace...
No worries, Rgulbux, the Super Bowl is one of my High Holidays! That, Passover, and Thanksgiving. I like food.
The remaining beetles trundle forward, as if oblivious to the fate that awaits them within seconds. Try as they might to breach the party's defenses with their gnashing mandibles, they come up short.
Realizing that his intimidation technique is unnecessary, Rayquaza spins around and delivers a flurry of blows, a jab at the Purple beetle and a kick at the Yellow one.
The nagaji's jab penetrates straight through the beetle's carapace, smashing it to bits and grinding it down to little more than beetle juice. His kick connects solidly too, flipping the other beetle over to reveal its crushed underside.
"Cook up well, maybe, but did you ever think about drinking a beetle?"
"HAHAHA! Puny bugs!" he taunts as he shoves the beetle that tried to bite him. "Thundering Bull make beetle porridge and beetle drink. Then Rayquaza check which is better."
________
Rolls:
Bull Rush vs Green:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19If successful, takes 7 damage and is pushed back 5ft+5ft/every 5 I beat the CMD
The last three beetles are bashed to bits, two practically turned to paste by the force of fists and feet. As suddenly as the action started, the room goes quiet.
Even a cursory glance at the sand patches reveals a few odds and ends dredged up by the bugs' eruption upwards. There are a few old mining harnesses (another of which was attached to a now-liquefied beetle), but the real gems are a tattered scroll and a trio of thankfully stoppered bottles. All items but the saddles scan as magic.
Scroll, DC 18 Spellcraft:
This is a Scroll of Lesser Restoration.
Potions, DC 18 Spellcraft or Perception:
These are Potions of Cure Moderate Wounds.
Beyond this chamber, only one path seems apparent. There are several that offshoot from the room, but they do not look like worked stone, nor are they big enough for a minotaur to fit through! And so, going the only evident direction, a strange sight is revealed around the bend. The natural caverns suddenly give way to worked stone and metal fixtures. Dangling glass balls flicker and cast a weak, greenish glow across the chamber. Ahead, a series of green-tiled, wide, terraced stairs slope up to an imposing bronze door, partly torn from its hinges. The stairs bear hundreds of symbols that seem to warp and flicker.
Here's a big ol' bronze door. Rearrange as you'd like and tell me what you want to do (open it, check for traps, swim through it, etcetera).
Dwarf Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer/4 | Init +5 | Per +8 | HP 30/30| AC 12, 11flat, 11touch | Fort +3 | Reflex +2 | Will +4 | BAB +2 | CMB +1 | CMD 12
Spellcraft:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
"Nice! A magical scroll! I've been meaning to learn to scribe these infernal things, but just haven't had the time... with all the missions that the society has been sending me on. This one is a... um... it is a... damnation! It's something that probably isn't useful to us at this time," sighs Rgulbux.
"RRRRAAAAHHHH! We beat bugs, squished them good!" he declares, winding up for an epic brofist with Rayquaza. "Thundering Bull cook beetles after mission," he says while he collects what he believes to be choice beetle parts.
"Thundering Bull look at door, see what happened," he explains as he tromps up to it.
________
Rayquaza mirrors the gesture with an epic nagaji fistbump. He licks his lips as Bull picks up the various to-be delicacies, then turns his attention to the door in front.
"Something dangerous may be behind this door. The dragon will listen!"
Male Human (Shoanti) AC 17/FF15/T12, +4/+4/11 (+1 Will vs Enchantment) 48/48 BAB +3 Shaman (Speaker of the past) 5, Perception+9, Init+2
Kegdrainer took up the rear, making sure that nothing followed up behind them. "I guess unless someone is handy with locks, you will have to bust it down the old fashioned way Thundering Bull" he said.
The party's search brings up nothing of note about the door. It doesn't seem locked or trapped, simply large and in the way, something that could thwart a human of average strength and size. But Dolamite, Rayquaza, Thundering Bull, and Vagantem are anything but those! The door is easily opened by a strong push (or a very strong one), and in spills the team.
The reek of decay, along with a pungent, acidic smell fills the chamber. Heaps of bones and garbage are scattered about the room. On both sides of the bronze doors, numerous small idols sit in niches and nooks. Their clumsy design clearly contrasts the delicate swoops and strokes of the walls and door. It all seems innocuous enough, but some of you notice: Once again, there are creatures hiding in the midden! They burst upwards as four: Two more beetles, and two hunched-over, rag-clad little humanoids bearing clubs. The latter pair shriek and scramble along the walls towards the team!
Blue and Red are currently 10 feet above the ground, on the walls they are closest to.
Knowledge (nature) DC 12:
These things are morlocks, humans who, many generations before, degenerated from lack of sunlight. They are now feral and irrational, occupying cramped spaces underground and killing most anything else to come close.
For every 5 by which you beat the DC, ask a question.
Male Human (Shoanti) AC 17/FF15/T12, +4/+4/11 (+1 Will vs Enchantment) 48/48 BAB +3 Shaman (Speaker of the past) 5, Perception+9, Init+2
K:Nature:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Spying the creatures before the group, the shaman was happy there was a lot of heavy hitters in front of him. "I think those are Morlocks, I have never seen them in person. Kegdrainer said as he looked deeply towards the lead figure. "You are getting very sleepy!" he commanded.
As Dolamite and Rayquaza power up, Kegdrainer acts. His power rolls over the advancing morlock and it crashes back to earth, snoring uproariously. Almost as if caught off-guard in their own ambush, the beetles slowly skitter forward.
The remaining morlock scuttles along the wall and jumps off, landing neatly in the party's midst. It swings its club at the nagaji, looking to capitalize on his lack of armor. It doesn't notice the armor-like layer of force surrounding him, but manages to find a way past it all the same.
Club vs. Rayquaza:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20 Damage:1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Seeing that the Morlock clearly doesn't value its own safety, Thundering Bull decides to go squish more bugs. "Thundering Bull squish more bugs!" he roars as he beats his chest and dives into a calamitous charge towards the nearest beetle.
________
Rolls:
Bullrush (Charge) vs Green:1d20 + 11 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 11 + 4 = 197 damage if successful. If it is still up, I get to Overrun it as a free action as well. Only looking to push back 5ft, regardless of how much I beat CMD by. If successful... Overrun (Charge) vs Green:1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 11 + 2 = 24Another 7 damage if successful, if I beat CMD by >5, it is prone as well.
Swift action Armored Vigor, Full-Round Action Charge. My movement will provoke from the Morlock.
Thundering Bull charges past the last morlock, whose retaliatory swipe bounces off his armor. His foot, meanwhile, cracks another beetle clean through. Vagantem's twin blades both carve into the feral creature, and just as it loses focus to Kegdrainer's enchantment, Dolamite knocks it to the ground in a bloody heap.
Dwarf Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer/4 | Init +5 | Per +8 | HP 30/30| AC 12, 11flat, 11touch | Fort +3 | Reflex +2 | Will +4 | BAB +2 | CMB +1 | CMD 12
Rgulbux steps towards Thundering Bull and smiles at the siegebreaker, "Nice moves there, Bully!" Then turning his attention to the last beetle, he quips "Now, its my turn..." Flames shoot from the sorcerer's outstretched hands enveloping the large insect.
Burning Hands for:4d4 + 4 ⇒ (3, 4, 2, 2) + 4 = 15 fire damage. Reflex DC 16 for half.
The remaining beetle keels over at the blast of intense heat. The way is clear!
Neither morlock is dead, but one is getting there and the other is simply asleep, so tell me if you wish to interrogate them or something. Forgot to mention, Kegdrainer knows that while they aren't known for their intellect, they can speak a fragmented Undercommon.
The insect and morlock bodies once again yield little, but the many idols lying about the room could be worth something to an academic or collector. There are about 50, made primarily from basalt and bone. There are also several corpses about, mostly humanoid, but bigger than a morlock, so likely a human or something similar. One looks downright regal, even in death, sporting an expensive cloak and pair of blades, though the wand lodged in his left eye socket reduces the effect slightly.
The weapons are a masterwork silver rapier and dagger. Neither they nor the idols are magical.
Heal or Knowledge (nature) DC 15:
Most of the corpses here are relatively fresh, despite having been stripped to the bone. Perhaps but a month old?
Cloak, DC 20 Spellcraft:
This is a Cloak of Resistance +1.
Wand, DC 20 Spellcraft:
This is a Wand of Water Breathing with 2 charges remaining.
Thundering Bull wipes his boots of on the rocks and tries to get a better look at the symbol on the ground. "What does picture on floor mean?"
________
Can anyone make those rolls?
"Not kill? Morlock attack friends first, friends just walking through door!" Thundering Bull protests. He continues to ponder what Dolamite pointed out. "Thundering Bull want to know what eat meat but not chew bones."Not Thundering Bull, Thundering Bull chew bones too. Just ask chicken! He then reaches into his bucket and wrenches another appendage off of the chicken within.
Male Human (Shoanti) AC 17/FF15/T12, +4/+4/11 (+1 Will vs Enchantment) 48/48 BAB +3 Shaman (Speaker of the past) 5, Perception+9, Init+2
Healing:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
"Hold on a moment, let me see if I can help the injured one. Please secure the sleeping one for the time being. Oh, and those bodies seem fresh, like the were killed less than a month ago. he said as he reached out with the wand.
CLW:1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
"There, that will keep him from dying. Now lets talk to the other one." he said as he started saying a few words.
cast Tongues
"You know I have powerful magic. If you value your life, you will tell me the truth. What is going on here?" Kegdrainer said, keeping his eyes on the tied up foe.
The morlock's eyes bulge as she finds herself bound and devoid of allies. She replies in shaky and broken Undercommon. "Nothing. We serve our god, he tell us when bad things come. He tell us when to take from surface, people an' stuff. We just minding our own business, 'til you come and kill us so!" If Kegdrainer remains close, she attempts to spit in his face.
"Some, yes. Others struggled. You'll find the god at the center. But you gotta get through the maze to do that, an' even I can't find the way! You can help your damn selves. Find the right path, and then the god'll kill you, for all I care!" The morlock spits again, then starts trying to bash her head against the floor. Doesn't seem like she'll be of much more help in this state.
Unless there remains some other method of persuading the morlock, there appears to be only one way forward: Down the hall, where an initial fork signifies the beginning of the maze proper. Is it time to truly enter and solve...Delirium's Tangle?
To make progress towards solving the maze, skill checks must be made. (I mean, imagine just doing it normally, in PbP no less!) For each time, the team must designate a leader to make the primary check, and the others can attempt to aid them (if necessary for the particular skill, the latter group must be trained). Once the final result is calculated, the party will be told what happens. Here are the methods of solving the maze:
Follow the Trail:
The team can attempt to follow tracks, be they morlock or minotaur, or search for hair, blood, and disarmed traps along their way through the maze.
Survival.
Princely Perfumes:
As Grandmaster Torch mentioned, Nuar wears an expensive and unique cologne that occasionally pierces the stench of the decaying, morlock-infested Tangle. One could use their sense of smell alone to cut a path.
Perception (scent or smell-based bonuses help).
Solve the Maze:
One could rely on wits over senses, in a bid to solve the puzzle as they might do for a smaller one. Even this strange and eldritch maze must conform to reality in some ways. Of course, to better understand the Tangle, one could somehow think like the Tangle, allowing its inherent madness to seep in for a time.
Knowledge (dungeoneering). You can take 1d4 temporary Wisdom damage to gain a +5 on this check.
Understand the Maze:
With magic literally radiating from the walls, the Tangle's eldritch power and significance are obvious. Those trained in the magical arts could try to treat and navigate it as a magic puzzle or item. Of course, the maze's power is willing to help out in this regard, so long as it can continue giving its gifts.
Knowledge (arcana). You can take 1d4 temporary Wisdom damage to gain a +5 on this check.
"Thundering Bull help where he can, but solving maze is not fighting," he explains.
________
I can roll aid another for perception and survival, but that is it.
HP 36/36; Reroll (@+3) 1/1; Wand Infernal Healing: 50/50; Sylph Fighter 4; AC 20; Touch 15; FF 15; Fort +5; Ref +5; Will +2; init +4; perc +0
Vagantem settles down to the trip through the maze, helping where she can, and taking the lead where she feels confident. But really, she is not much help.
"Though if the minotaur prince got lost here I don't see what chance we have..."
rolls:
survival(aid):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 perception(aid):1d20 ⇒ 8 dungeneering:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 <- I suspect nobody else is trained, if they are she will aid rather than lead.
[Cannot help with the final one
Male Human (Shoanti) AC 17/FF15/T12, +4/+4/11 (+1 Will vs Enchantment) 48/48 BAB +3 Shaman (Speaker of the past) 5, Perception+9, Init+2
"Well, this is a maze and we have to start somewhere." Kegdrainer said. "Not sure what it is over there, but it might be something to start our search. he added, looking on the floor.
I felt like there are certain situations in which one must be trained in Survival to contribute, but I can't find them and it says it needn't be trained-only. Besides, this doesn't seem too hard to help with, if nothing else. I think everyone can aid another for Survival, making that and Perception likely the best/only-used things here.
"Thundering Bull see it too. Kegdrainer stay behind, Thundering Bull check it first," he offers to his shaman, unwilling to let him walk into danger alone.
________
Rayquaza follows Kegdrainer around, using his tongue's sense of scent to help spot the Minotaur's cologne. He also sticks low to the ground, trying to notice any footprints and remains the others may have missed.
Gonna bot Rgulbux's roll on this one, because it could change the outcome. Otherwise it'd be prompt, then response, then outcome.
Rgulbux Aid:1d20 ⇒ 10
Just what you needed!
Following general clues across the maze, the passageway seems to continue ahead as far as you can see. The imprint of a single hoof stands in the dust gathered along the left wall.
Time for another such check. Each one lasts an hour, so wand-based Mage Armor is now offline.
"Thundering Bull bet shaman can find more clues, maybe hair from minotaur too?" he says, thinking out loud. Thundering Bull not like so much walking. Maybe shaman can find minotaur faster?
________
