Amir bows at the greeting and offers a questioning looks to his companions, Ah yes. Thank you for the warm greeting...
Varkata smiles pleasantly, "Indeed... Warm greetings are a welcome change." She calls out, "Well met."
The creature bows its head letting satiny black hair cascade over the powerful leonine shoulders. "Surely you have not traveled to a hidden corner of a lost world just to exchange pleasantries. Do tell, what brings you to my charge?"
Karethas lets the rest of the group converse with the creature, he focuses his attention on the geometric patterns in the stone.
Kzrira's fingers itch to draw her bow and load an arrow, but seeing the creatures apparently non-hostile nature and her companions reaction, she resists the urge and instead listens while carefully surveying the area for anything unexpected.
Perception:
Kzrira sees nothing overtly suspicious.
Varkata says, "To be honest, we're a mite lost. We were traveling by ship... and then the ship suffered a bit of a mishap."
Karethas studies the creature, "Actually, we were looking for Obherak and we thought that he was in this area."
The creature eyes shine with curiosity. "A ship? But you are far from the coast unless it could sail the dunes... Ah, I believe I've solved your riddle- you've one of Ancient Nex's magic galleons crashed upon the rock wall that now closes off the way to the temple."
"Obherak? I may know something, but first a riddle of my own. Many find riddles cliché but it is the tradition of my kind. If you would pass beyond, you must answer: ‘I build up hills and tear down mountains. I make blind eyes see and make seeing eyes blind. What am I?’"
Amir smirks slightly, I know you well, as do we all. Sand.
The canny rogue quickly catches the meaning of the riddle. The winged leonine creature smiles and bows again. "Ah, perhaps that was too easy given that the answer surrounds us. But still, you have bested my challenge and may pass." The creature backs off to the side still smiling and clears the way forward into the hillside.
Before you can move forward however, a golden giant rises from the stone floor of the entrance. "You have had your fun, Iqilma. Need I remind you that you serve Obherak now, not the ridiculous tongue-twisting traditions of your kind!"
Varkata turns, "We've come to speak to your master, then, giant.", readying to cast a spell in case the thing seems to shift to a hostile footing.
Kzrira continues to stand next to her more talkative companions watching carefully to determine what is about.
"We've come to speak to your master, then, giant."
"Our Leader, you mean. Only you mortals try to set yourselves up as Masters of our people. You have come unannounced and on one of Dilix's boats by the sound of it. Now do your job, Iquilma; it is time to dispose of these interlopers. "
The winged creature hisses at the shaitan. "No masters, yet you feel free to lord it over me. Fight your own fights, Zulficar!" The sphinx makes no move as the hostilities Varkata half expected commence.
Karethas
Kzrira
Varkata
foe
Dilix's boats are our only methods of moving about this place. How else could we come to further treat with Oberhak?
Amir stands ready to move but does not act aggressively...
"He has declared his intentions Amir. The time for talking is done, but perhaps we should subdue him since we mean no harm to his master." Karethas casts Enlarge Person on Amir and flies as high and far out of reach as possible.
"Unlikely, mortal!" the golden giant shouts and rushes toward the jumbo-sized Amir. A cloud of glittering dust precedes him covering the old rogue and then the giant barrels into him knocking him off the granite platform into the golden dunes below.
The sphinx flies away.
Kzrira grumbles:
Why is it that everything around here wants to die.
With that, she takes a deep breath and starts to fire at the shaitan.
Attack-rapid fire: <-- assuming less than 30' for PBS, -1 if not
Damage:
Attack-rapid fire:
Damage:
Attack-rapid fire:
Damage:
None to the shots are particularly accurate unfortunately.
Kzrira's hasty shots all bounce off or shatter upon the stony genies golden chain shirt and hardened skin.
Varkata leaps into the air, calling upon the Drunken Hero to fill her with his strength as she draws her blade. "You may find that more of a challenge than you'd expect, Dirtbound."
Kzrira calls to Karethas:
What do we need to harm this cretin? I don't have many hard arrows.
If possible, Kzrira would have 5-foot stepped up using her flight.
"Can you think of another way to get by him?" Karethas shouts sarcastically as he casts a spell causing the world to slow for his companions.
Amir fails to shake off the gold dust that precedes his attacker and is blinded as he falls off the platform.Now without sight the rogue does his best to navigate back to the fray moving akwardly now deprived of his sight...
Amir sinks into the deep sand which begins to flow around him. He struggles to stay up swimming in the light powdery sand, but keeps sinking as he's pulled away from the temple.
Varkata and Karethas cast spells to aid them against the shaitan. A glittering cloud of quartz engulfs Kzrira as the golden giant charges and grabs her.
Will:
Suddenly finding herself grasped, Kzrira attempts to break free.
Break Grapple:
Karethas, need some help here.
Karethas grits his teeth and casts a spell. "I'm using up all of my spells here!"
]
Varkata calls, "Down drown in the sand, Old Man!", then flies toward the Shaitan, swinging her blade menacingly, drawing upon the heady strength of her deity to add even more ferocity.
Kzrira struggles in the solid gold grasp. Varkata sweeps up and strikes the shaitan. It is a powerful blow, but does far less damage than expected. Meanwhile, Amir continues trying to swim in the thin powdery dust. He disappears below a moment and then manages to get his head up to gasp air again. Karethas covers Kzrira up with an oily coat to help her escape her enemy's crushing grip, but the metallic genie just manages to maintain his hold of the slippery archer. Kzrira feels her bones groan in the stony embrace.
;
Varkata focuses her will on the fly spell, keeping herself off the ground, shifting only slightly to get behind the Shaitan, taking advantage of its focus on Kzrira.... and the speedy reflexes granted by Karethas' spell.
Karethas sees Amir struggling, he swoops close and casts a spell on him. The old rogue suddenly feels buoyant and can rise out of the sand. He smiles and says, "Saving the day again. Turning back to the battle, Kzrira, get away from him!
CMB <-- +10 from grease
The archer continues to struggle to get free of her captor.
CMD = 34 vs Grapple (+10 extra from grease)
HP: 56/74
Kzrira continues to writhe like a slippery fish in the genie's grasp and finally slips free. Varkata hovers nearby and with a rapid series of blows manages to hit the shaitan hard enough to injure him again though his skin feels as if it is harder than steel.
Amir floats free of the treacherous golden sand that threatened to drag him down and drown him on the dry land.
The golden giant turns his attention to the not-so-slippery cleric that is harrying him, but some residual grease seems to remain on his hands and she narrowly slips his grasp.
Seeing the Genie reaching up for her, Varkata swings her blade down in an arc to make it pay, then smiles as the force of her blow helps turn the thing enough that its grab misses.
for
Her hands ringing from the impacts, Varkata says, "Any way to soften this thing's hide? Feel like I'm risking dulling my blade.".
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kzrira, wanting to avoid the stony genie, floats back and unleashes three arrows.
Assuming she can attack without drawing an AoO. Kzrira draws a few of the valuable adamantine arrows from her quiver, hoping that they strike accurately.
5-foot step away and attack.
Attack-rapid shot:
Damage:
Attack-rapid shot:
Damage:
Attack-rapid shot iterative:
Damage:
Attack-haste:
Damage:
Although the first shot is well off the mark, the others strike true.
Amir flails in the sand a bit and does his best to maneuver the blindness only just starting to fade...Ah Karethas...can you...help me...get up there please?!?