Rested and inspired, you make your way out the back of the walled inner city to the washed out muddy road that leads up one of the hills. At the top of the hill you can see that it is actually a caldera, a small volcano with a crater about a mile across. Perched precariously on the rim is an 80 foot tower, about 35 foot square.
This shabby mud-choked entryway is ruined and waterlogged. The once beautiful ornate brass doors
hang off their hinges, soiled and tarnished. A fallen plaque lies in the muck. In gnomish it reads: “The Vaustenstad Observatory established 1367 S.R., ‘We have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the dark.’”
This date, on a svirneblin calendar, is nearly 400 years gone.
Glenda cocks her head this way and that as she tries to make sense of the observatory.
"There must be some kind of divinatory magic in it," she says finally. "There's no way to see the stars from down here."
Shrugging, "That or they went crazy."
Dasur finishes reading the plaque, then looks up at the ceiling. "Hmmm." He contemplates, stroking his greasy beard. "Or perhaps they could see something we cannot. If the sumersible was any indication, these deep gnomes understood phenomenon beyond our wildest musings."
Poking around the ruins with his staff, he taps the large brass doors. "Was Vaustenstad the name of the city? The gnome collective?" The wizard wonders aloud, using his staff as ahighly ineffective makeshift shovel to start clearing mud away from the entrance. "In any case, let us discover what they have left behind."
"This truly was a house of science was it? What is it with these gnomes and thinking stuff up?"
The inner double doors of the entryway are more intact and so the front hall has been spared much of the destruction meted upon the entryway. Several portraits of distinguished svirfneblin scientists still hang in the dark front hall. One is labeled Humboldt Would-Rather-Know-Than-Guess and displays a portrait of an older rather, severe deep gnome. Another reads Cagan First-To-Go-Forth-Where-Others-Feared.
This gnome is rather younger and has a devil-may-care look in his eyes. The other portraits are too rotten to make out.
All of the inner doors are at least slightly ajar.
Iverna's massive eyes grow ever larger. "How can no one know this place exists? It was only a few generations ago."
Dasur starts to wander aimlessly about the front hall, stopping in front of the portrait of Humboldt Would-Rather-Know-Than-Guess. "I was wondering the same thing, Iverna. 400 years is not long for the generational memory of sharp-minded gnomes. The Dark Elves were incredibly thorough in their destruction. Perhaps none escaped, or they never made it to Fasturvault."
He moves to the picture of Cagan First-To-Go-Forth-Where-Others-Feared., looking deep into the portrait's eyes. "I regret I am not able to meet these distinished fellows." The wizard sayswistfully, continuing to wander about.
It’s the battle map link at the top of the page.
Torvi points at the floor, ”Something has slithered through here, going towards those doors to the east!” She hefts her weapon and prepares for combat.
"Another worm, perhaps." Dasur comments, seeming unconcerned. "Statisically speaking, we were fortunate to not enouncter a giant one on the way here."
Let me out! Can you behave? Avoid being rude and shaming me? Smiling at the long sigh that flutters though her mind. I will try assuming none of you do someone thing stupid.
"If there is to be another fight can we wait a moment so that I can call Regnir out? Another body would be helpful."
If no one objects to the freeing of the rude revenant Nalnear closes her eyes and breaths slowly while blue tendrils curl off of her. Solidifying a mostly blue and solid looking Regnir behind her.
Snorri marvels at the observatory. "There may be books or records shedding light on these mysteries inside. On the construction, on what they studied, and on why it was forgotten. Their work, or what remains, will live on through ours." Did the Grand Library of Dammerhall contain anything about gnomish engineering? There is so much we don't know about home...
As Torvi points out the mud path, he grabs the axe. "Yes, Nalnera, please call him. Iverna, can you peek, you are the most inconspicuous of us all."
"Sure thing, chief." Iverna moves forward across the smeared floor. She moves to the partially open door, her tiny feet making no noise at all. Keeping her head low, she peers through the door into the room. She pauses, staring intently for nearly a minute. Then she turns back.
"It's just an empty room. Tile floor, cracks in the outer wall, a bunch of holes in the fl--"
With her head turned toward you, she doesn't even notice as the strange worms hurl themselves at her. Two pale white worms about three feet long, lamprey mouths and 4 tentacles spaced evenly around the orifice. A familiar pattern now made more horrible.
13 points to Iverna.
Two worms latch onto Iverna with mouths and tentacles, the third flops onto the floor beyond her.
Dasur, Nalnera and Co, Worm, then Everyone else.
Round 1
Dasur was standing between the inner double doors, inspecting the braswork while Iverna scouted out the eastern room.
When she gives the all clear he casually turns toward her, nodding. "Ah, good, perhaps they have mov- ໄຂມັນທານຈາກກ້ອນຫີນ!" Without so much as a wasted thought between dimissing the presence of the worms to taking action against them, Dasur shouts an arcane incantation while smashing a piece of butter hanging from his belt. Microscopic portals to the elemental plane of lard open up all over Iverna's clothes, spraying a fine mist of nebulized fats. Not only does this cover her in a layer of slippery grease, but she now smells like a delicious holiday ham.
The wizard moves to the side, allowing their warriors to pour into the main hallway. "To arms, companions! Three worms assault Iverna!"
Breathing a sigh of relief at the mental silence and tensing when Regnir puts his hand on her shoulder. Pushed forward to wait near the door Iverna is looking through.
Relaxing her grip on her axe and smiling before rushing froward with Regnir behind her. Lifting her axe high and aiming for one of the pale worms.
Grinning at being right. Red starts to bleed into the blue as he runs into the room.
The worms, latched on to Iverna's diminutive form, gnaw into her flesh. The gnome falls to the floor.
Torvi will commence her raging song...
Raging song: +2 STR/CON, +1 Will Save, -1 AC, Cannot use CHA, DEX, or INT based skills except Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Ride), or any ability that requires patience or concentration.
Which comes along with:
Celestial Totem, Lesser (Su) Cure spells heal CL extra Hp, non spell magical healing does class level extra.
The third worm lunges toward Nalnera, its tentacles wrapping around her arm and teeth digging in...
Erebos encants in Elven, though with words you do not recognize, chopping the air with a hand. A beam of crackling dark energy lances from his hand to the worm attacking Nalnera...
Glenda, taking on the fearsome aspect provided by Torvi's song, rushes in to swat at one of the worms that is crawling over their gnome guide.
Snorri rushes forward, hacking with his family axe. "Let go and die, you slimy monstrosities!"
It's my fault, I told her to scout, oh don't be dead...
Round 2
Even with his lightning relaxes, Dasur's magic was not quick enough to save Iverna from a horrible, worm-infested fate. It is no wonder these worms were capable of such destruction. He briefly thinks before beginning to weave a spell to assist Snorri.
Stout fingers flick arcane intricacies while he chants now familar words in draconic... "ພະລັງງານໃນລະດັບຄວາມສູງ, ພະລັງງານຢູ່ໃນຫຼາຍ. ການຂະຫຍາຍຕົວແບບຟອມຂອງທ່ານແລະຮູ້ວ່າພະລັງງານນີ້"
Snorri slices one of the two worms in half. It remains attached to Iverna, but its thrashings are unfocused.
Letting out a growl and letting Torvi's song flood her mind.
Stepping over to the thus far undamaged worm and turning a dark bloody red while he moves.
The remaining worm attached to Iverna continues to dig into her torso, viscera and gore spilling out. There seems to be little hope that the small figure can survive this.
The other worm lunges at Glenda, latching onto her with tentacles and teeth.
The words that come from Snorri's mouth are more fit for a northern berserker than a Crown Prince, but express well his rage as he steps towards the worm feasting on Iverna.
Eyes widening and ignoring the worms to reach out and touch Iverna, "Please don't die."
Roaring and slamming both fists into the worm in front of him.
Glenda struggles to escape.
Glenda grabs onto the worm and pulls it from her arm.
Snorri and Regnir chop and smash the remaining worm that is attached to Iverna, and its movement changes from the driven lunges of hunger to the random twitching of death.
Torvi continues to play the raging song, although she chooses to not accept its help this particular round for herself. Instead, she will move in and cast cure light wounds on Iverna...
Round 3
Dasur watches Iverna get torn apart by the worms as he stands in the back, gripping his staff tightly. Is she the first to die on the mountain we climb to reach Dammerhall? He thinks coldly, glancing at Snorri. As long as the Scion survives to take the throne, we are all expendable...
Limited on his mgical options to deal with the worms, Dasur instead focuses on providing support. Using the tip of his his staff, he tries to help push off the worm that is terrorizing her.
Iverna is gutted and seemingly unrecoverable before the restorative magic courses through her body. The positive energy drives her flesh to re-knit itself, pulling her back to health.
The worm attempts to reattach itself to Glenda's leg, but cannot penetrate her tough armor.
Torvi continues to play the raging song, although she chooses to not accept its help this particular round for herself. Instead, she will move in and cast cure light wounds on Iverna...
Iverna's eyes snap open, and her hands grab for her belly. She finds the shredded remains of her tunic and looks quizzically at Torvi.
"What in the infinite Abyss just happened?"
Freed from the worm for the moment, Glenda takes her best shot with her Dammerhall warhammer.
Round 4
"An abyssal worm bored through your abdomen." Dasur succinctly answers Iverna's question, moving around Glenda to assist Nalnera in the destruction of their last foe. He tries poking the worm with his staff to distract it, but it doesn't seem to care much for non-living tissue.
A hearthy laughter comes from Snorri as Iverna wakes. Growing under Dasur's spell, he focuses on the threat to Glenda, although his shot fails to compensate for the height difference.