Embarrassed that she had allowed the rude rogue to distract her from her scholarly obligations, especially now that several more people have arrived to help with the looting she stops going though the chests and moves to study the tapestires. When she sees her fellow magus enter with his wife she calls out to him "Mai, would you come over here and help me to see what we can make of these magical tapestries of transport? Karthan has had the most excellent idea that perhaps they can be rolled up and taken with us." before moving back to her studies.
Knowledge(arcana):
Spellcraft:
Once he's finished checking out the gems, their small spat already forgotten, Ada'an flutters over and takes his regular position and aids his mistress in her studies, as is his main duty.
As the half-orc arrives and states his position Jorzan looks up briefly and gives his first smile in some time, glad to finally have someone who more or less sees things the same way he does.
Min rolls his eyes, visibly annoyed with the continued debating, but he expected no less from those who walked in on conversations. He agreed with not leaving a single thing for the red dragonflight but he'd rather crush the damn construct and drag the damn chests out of the room. Decisions, Decisions. "I am sure that if we pull it off the wall that means either it would stop working altogether or this room could collapse in on itself. More then likely though it would mean someone was trapped out there with the Red Dragonflight as I am sure he couldn't just walk inside with the tapestry in their hands without causing... um.. what is the bloody word... A paradox!"
I know its a long shot but here goes~
Sir Justahl, seeing the action, frowns a little but strides forward to pitch in searching through the chests and moving the treasure. It's only logical to look for an adamantine weapon.
"That is... Actually a very good point," Kelne said, "We may not be able to pull the tapestry in behind us, but we do have teleport scrolls. If we can move the outside tapestry without disrupting the magic, we can teleport the entrance to this room to wherever we like. I daresay the people of Stormfare or Izmir would be able to put such portals to good use. Would somebody look into the possibility, please?"
Maiathreen begins to inspect the tapestry to see what they can do with it.
Min was startled by the Northman's suggestion and these teleport scrolls were starting to intrigue him. "I don't know as much about magic as I wish, but I have a suggestion if we are able to move them without disrupting the portal or its contents. It's a trick that Lin and I haven't been able to use in a long time..." He pauses as he tries to think of the best way to explain it and then shrugs as he says. "I can call her to my side, I don't know how far away we can do this but at least we could save you a scroll of teleport. Its worth a try at least. Also we may want to avoid putting these in a place that the Dragonflights could try and invade..."
"Perhaps I shall roll-up my friends and carry them from this place."
Considers the idea carefully...
knowledge arcane
The arcanists in the group combine their knowledge and are able to determine that there is no reason at all why the tapestries cannot be rolled up and taken with, while still retaining all their magic abilities. In fact, the only real barrier to moving the tapestries is their sheer bulk and weight, since they all stretch from floor to ceiling and are at least 40' long.
Unfortunately (or not, depending on your viewpoint), it is impossible to pull a given tapestry "shut" or take it with you when you travel through it, due to how the teleportation magic is implemented. However, it doesn't appear that there should be any problem taking a rolled-up magic tapestry through one of the other ones, though attempting to put one through the other face-first would result in utter disaster.
After scouring quickly through the chests, the following adamantine weapons turn up;
Kelne finds a .
Jorzan, who took extra time to search, finds a pair of adamantine battleaxes; one is called Lightning Stormaxe and the other is called Thunder Stormaxe. They appear to have been made and intended for use as a pair. The writing on them is all in dwarvish.
Min finds a
In addition to those Adamantine weapons, a few other non-adamantine weapons of interest show up:
Jorzan finds a That has two channels carved in the blade that allow a double-dose of poison to be administered by those with such a skill. A small trigger ejects the poison, so the doses may be applied, then triggered at a later time, and they may be used both at once or used independently of each other. The rogue also finds a , though it is made just of steel.
Sir Justahl finds a .
Kelne finds a .
Min finds a .
Aylaeth finds a .
Among the armor, a pair of +2 Steel Shields are located, but anything else of use would need to be assembled and then put on, and there simply isn't time for that right now. The furnace golem, unaware of its impending fate, burns quietly in the corner, heating up the room.
Min finds a suitable sheath for the Longsword before strapping it to his belt and letting it hang along his hip. He stared curiously at the warhammer, he never used a weapon of its like before and didn't particularly want to. He shrugged and clipped it to his belt.
After listening to the talk back and forth Min nods. "So we can remove it and not destroy its qualities. I can try and see if I can bring Lin into this chamber and if so we could wrap the tapestry up and bring her and it to this place. That is unless you had other places to be in Orimir's Castle?"
"Other then this Adamantine blade I found, I can harm the construct with Avenaada so whoever is going to close with it best take this sword for now." As he looks at what the others discovered, he sees the weapons Kelna and Aylaeth found barely stops himself from taking a step back. For some odd reason those weapons bothered him.
Having been keeping an eye on the impending Dragonflight advance, Damian strides into the tapestry room with Keythan behind him. He surveys the groups divvying up the loot as Aylaeth explains the arcane mechanism behind the tapestries. Brook runs up to him with one of the magical shields, which Damian takes with his thanks. "Find a good weapon, one that feels right in your hands. Do not seek one for me. This blade is blessed by Iomedae, and I shall not doubt that it is the precise weapon she intends for my hands to wield."
He analyzes the tapestries, examining them and looking for signs of royal seals. "Is there any way to destroy these portals, or otherwise prevent their usage if we cannot bring them with us? I am loathe to hand such a tactical advantage over to the Red Dragonflight, or leave it in the hands of the Wolfguards should they prevail.
"We can bring them with us," Kelne said, hefting his new hammer and starting over to the construct, "We ought to be able to simply pass them through the tapestry to Stormfare, leaving just the Stormfare tapestry itself and the one outside. As I understand it, a teleport scroll ought to be able to transport two people and someone the size of Lin, so if we get Lin to carry those last two tapestries and teleport her, we should be fine. If, for whatever reason, we can't get the last tapestries out, I imagine fire would suffice to destroy them. If the external tapstry can be rolled up without affecting anything inside, we may as well teleport it now, without bothering to send anything through to Stormfare," he concluded, inviting commentary from the magic-users.
"Right, let's deal with this thing," he went on, taking up a position next to the furnace golem. He gave the others time to get into position and ready their own weapons, then lashed out with the hammer.
Identifying tapestries other than the one most of his friends are in, and also magical Belsarious uses his curve blade to cut down and begin rolling up other tapestries.....
Karthan directs others on rolling up the tapestry - and holds Jorzan back. "We need to find Ormir's coffin - any word from your Shadow?"
When he gets a chance to talk to Kelne - [b]"Is there time to find Ormir's redoubt and deal with him there before the Red Dragonflight gets here?"[b]
"Hold on just a moment before you begin rolling up those tapestries. We need to decide first which ones we'll be using. Plus, unless you can fly, you're not going to be able to cut them all the way to the top anyway."
He then points to the hard to see shadowy being drifting in one of the corners of the room as he answers Karthan's question "Zan- I know, I know, but that's what I've just decided to call him, at least for now- never left my side. I'm pretty sure though that Ormir's nowhere in this castle. I know that I sure as hell wouldn't be if I were him and had a huge army on my ass on one side and the party that just kicked my ass on the other. Especially when he had so many other places to hie off too." as he indicates the tapestries with a wave of his hand. "I'd bet my lunch money that the bastard is somewhere within one of these tapestries here."
Then he brandishes the impressive pair of battleaxes. While he certainly admires and appreciates their fine craftsmanship, he realizes that they're of little to no use to him. He proffers them first to Justahl or then anyone else who may want them saying "One of you fighter types should certainly use these against that damned construct." if no one takes them he just leaves them on the ground.
He definitively holds onto the short swords though, a blissful smile of violence on his face as he drools to himself 'Nice! These babies we're made for me!'
Realizing he still has little to no chance of harming the construct and with the room now full of warriors anyway, the rogue simply continues to root through the chests, now focusing on the chest of random items (and the clothing chest if possible)
CURRENT HP: 81 (100%)
CONDITION: Nominal, 2 points Con damage
AC: 25 (+7 armor, +5 shield, +2 Dex, +1 Amulet)
Sir Justahl holds up the flaming battleaxe and inspects it critically. He sighs and puts it aside. Looking around he spots Jorzan holding up his finds and makes his way over to him.
"I say Jorzan, could I persuade you to lend me one of your new axes for this fight? I have but a couple of minutes before my armor disappears and I would like to have this over with by then."
Startled at receiving both, he bows.
"Thank you Jorzan, I am grateful."
He smiles, satisfied, as he picks up the "Thundering" battleaxe.
Before the attack, he will call upon .
When the time comes to attack:
battleaxe attack #1: for a possible cutting damage.
battleaxe attack #2: for a possible cutting damage.
...Crit confirm? (for possible extra sonic damage only) Not confirmed.
IF extra attack from haste:: for a possible cutting damage.
IF flanking, add +2 to rolls to hit.
IF other people are flanking with Sir Justahl, they gain +4 to hit for flanking instead of the usual +2 (Menacing).
If he is able to, Tora'an enters into the tapestry behind Captain Lamorak, as his heartmate bade him do. Once inside, he is more than intelligent enough to know to get himself of the way by hovering near the ceiling, in a corner.
Upon finding the sword, she considers for a moment before deciding to hold onto it. While she would not be able to proficiently wield it herself, one of her companions might, and they certainly seemed to encounter dragons frequently enough to make it valuable. Otherwise, she would sell it for something of more use to her. For now, her staff would have to suffice, as it always had in the past.
As the others place themselves around the furnace, confident in her protections, the places herself in front of the construct, and just before they are ready to attack, after preparing herself, she casts haste on all who will do battle with the thing.
Battle Stuff:
Position: R8
Spends: 1 AP to bring her staff to +3 and 2 more to give it the icy burst quality. 4/10 left.
Casts: Bears Endurance & True Strike on herself and Haste on 8 warriors.
Surprise attack on furnace:
Surprise attack on furnace:
Haste Surprise attack on furnace:
*@&^%$#* Dice Roller!!!!
"That is... Actually a very good point," Kelne said, "We may not be able to pull the tapestry in behind us, but we do have teleport scrolls. If we can move the outside tapestry without disrupting the magic, we can teleport the entrance to this room to wherever we like. I daresay the people of Stormfare or Izmir would be able to put such portals to good use. Would somebody look into the possibility, please?"
.
Min nods in agreement with the others talking of leaving just the tapestry to Stormfare open, he was indeed quick to agree to anything that kept them moving forward at this point and prevented the Red Dragonflight from gaining more control. He had little time to worry about Lin as Kelne moved to engage the inert Golem. With barely enough time to take up his position, Min took the the most open line of sight to the furnace and knocked and fired rapidly at the inert construct.
"Jorzan's most likely right about Ormir," Kelne put in, "That last scrying scroll ought to help us narrow down where he's hiding though."
Remember attackers, those flanking with me gain a +4 for a flank bonus!
Karthan nods, gets ready to pull out the scroll. "Ready when we've got the tapestries stowed. I can fly if needed to unfasten them; I don't seem to be doing much good in here."
He thinks. "Ayleath, Min, if I lent you my crossbow, could you take it to Stormfare and get it enchanted to specifications written, and get it back to me sometime later in the journey? I feel badly asking this of you - you surely have more important things than being a delivery service..."
He pauses. "But this is a diversion from our journey, and where we're going, there aren't many cities left to do trade in. And I'd rather not go back to Stormfare only to cross what we've spent six months covering now, under cover of stealth."
"I'd also appreciate it if you could see about getting Kevin treated in Stormfare."
Karthan will pick up the other Adamantine axe, assuming it's something he can use from Half-Orc racial proficiencies....
Jorzan points to his magical footwear and grins "No need to waste a spell brother"
Before the battle with the construct had begun Aylaeth replied to the sorcerer "We will most certainly take young Kevin, and his insane tormentor, with us to Stormfare and see to the healing of the first and the punishment of the second. Is there anyone else in Stormfare you would have us speak to on your behalf?"
She then looks at the giant crossbow with somewhat less certainty "I would pleased to do this favour for you Karthan, my only concern though would be how will we return it to you? Our own quest shall be taking us all over the Land, and especially if you are travelling under Stealth, as you say, how shall we even be able to reach you, let alone find you?"
On Kelne's command, the group gathered around the furnace golem -- which is still showing signs of damage from its earlier combat -- unleashes a hail of attacks. Immediately the thing begins to arise to defend itself, but it is no match for the group of determined warriors all wielding adamantium weapons, and after several seconds of pummeling it, the thing shivers, wobbles and bursts into pieces. The coals and wood inside it fly out as well, and while a couple chunks bounce off some of you, no one is harmed.
With one threat out of the way, the group can now turn their attentions to more pressing matters...
Before the battle with the construct had begun Aylaeth replied to the sorcerer "We will most certainly take young Kevin, and his insane tormentor, with us to Stormfare and see to the healing of the first and the punishment of the second. Is there anyone else in Stormfare you would have us speak to on your behalf?"
"Let me think on that for a moment - I'd like to write a note to my mother telling her that I'm well; there are other people in the city who might be of use to you.
She then looks at the giant crossbow with somewhat less certainty "I would pleased to do this favour for you Karthan, my only concern though would be how will we return it to you? Our own quest shall be taking us all over the Land, and especially if you are travelling under Stealth, as you say, how shall we even be able to reach you, let alone find you?"
"One alternative is for us to carry the Stormfare tapestry with us and have you return through it when your errands are done there. It's possible you may have information or further assistance we could use while we make forward progress. Though I suspect our progress would be painfully slow by your standards..."
As he hears the sounds of the furnace golem crashing down Jorzan turns with some surprise thinking 'Well that was a lot easier than I had thought it would be.'
But then immediately speaks aloud "Remind me to never get in a serious disagreement with you lot. Ok, now we really have to hurry, and I've been thinking while I worked over here. There's no way the dragon and the other mounts are going to fit through that passageway there. So, unless you have some magical way to get them all in here we're going to have to do it another way. On top of that, we have to be able to take the tapestry which is this prison entrance with us. "
He points to the tapestry Kelne indicated led to Stormfare "That leads to Stormfare, I think I recognize the location as well. If we take that tapestry back out into the promenade and unroll it again, most of us can head through it and arrive in Stormfare safely and quickly. Or alternatively, you Knights can just head there yourselves, if your mission presses you for time as well. As for us, we have to take out Ormir and from what I recall about vamps, we only have about 45 more minutes or so to have a good chance of doing that. Either way, at least two of us will have to stay behind in the Promenade and then either teleport with the Stormfare tapestry or one of the others if we decide to go there instead to join up with the rest of our group."
He pauses for a moment and then finishes with "Whatever we're going to do, we have to decide and act on it quickly. So what say you all?" and he looks at each of the powerful heroes around him, looking either for their agreement or, hopefully, an even better plan.
"I'd like to scry on Ormir before we do anything else," Kelne said, tucking the warhammer into a belt loop, "His location may influence what we do next. It's worth remembering that if we take all the tapestries to Stormfare, we can use them to reach the destinations depicted, so going to Stormfare isn't necessarily a step backwards. In particular, there's one which depicts the town of Pechora, which is a fair bit closer to our destination than we are now. Once Ormir's been dealt with, I say we put that one to use."
"I'm just going to see if I can pick up any of Ormir's blood or something similar from the fight. A personal possession will make it easier to scry on him." So saying, he headed back outside to investigate. He'd noted the spot where Ormir had fallen, and intended to sop up any lingering blood or cloth which might have been torn loose during the fight.
Taking Kelne's words as enough agreement for now, Jorzan says "Right." and begins cutting down the Stormfare tapestry, using his slippers of climbing to help him do the walls and ceilings. Looking especially to Min and Jusahl he says "You two should be more than strong enough to carry this outside. I'll cut around the top and upper walls and if you can cut around the base and the lower walls then help me roll it up and take it into the Promenade we should be good."
Sir Justahl nods quickly at Jorzan's request.
"Yes, yes, I'll help. But first I need to take the time to don my real armor..."
There is a flickering flash, and Sir Justahl's silvery force plate armor evaporates, leaving him naked. He turns cherry red as he quickly covers himself with his shield.
"...before it disappears."
@Karthan and @Aylaeth: Here's a re-post of how I DMPCd Karthan earlier:
DMPC'ing Karthan:
Karthan finally turns and acknowledges both Aylaeth and Damian; "Captain Lamorak, Lady Aylaeth, greetings." the charismatic half-orc says, a bit tersely; it is clear he wants to see the foul unlife of Ormir come to an end. "My companions and I thank you for your assistance, of course, and will gladly aid you in turn. I fear time is a bit short for me to write a missive to mother, however. Hmmm...what to do...a-ha!" The big sorcerer takes off one of his distinctive silver armbands, which bears a unique crest and writing, and hands it to Captain Lamorak. "Here. This will be good of proof as any that you saw me in the flesh. If you tell my mother -- who is still head librarian of the Hec -- I and "Cassandra" need your assistance, that should be a good start. In addition, tell her, in draconic, that the hills of Hallas bring good tidings, I believe you will be in good stead."
DMPC Karthan:
The big sorcerer's eyes widen when Aylaeth produces the Power Orb. "Well, this will certainly get you someplace! This is a Focal Orb, one of five known to exist. We have two already in the Great Tower, a third would be highly prized by the Arcana Department. If you give it to the library, I can guarantee mother would be most grateful, if you catch my drift. It is said if all five are collected, tremendous power would be imparted on the wielder, but there is much argument amongst the staff as to whether that is a thing to be desired, or actively avoided..."
A weird scraping, rocking noise catches everyone's ears and they turn to see the large gem that Jorzan had tied his rope around is rocking back and forth, but the Golem never had a chance to move enough to bring the jewel-prison down, only to set it on its course of rocking back and forth. It's clear that it won't fall without help, eventually the momentum will fade and will right itself unless someone intervenes.
As he hear's the sound Jorzan turns to look then calls out over his shoulder as he continues to cut away the tapestry "Hey that's the prison with the Wyverling. Someone help the little fellow out!"
"A Wyverling you say?" Although her trust of the dragon ancestors was not rock solid after the last one they had met had led them through the convinient but potentially cataclimic Dragon Doors, still she would not see one imprisoned could she help it. Timing her strike with it's movement, she gives the large gem a hard jab with her quarterstaff, hoping to send it crashing over. If it doesn't work the first time she'll try again until it does.
Min sat listening to the back and forth, growing more tired of it by the minute, when the crystal started rocking he breathed a sigh of relief. Finally something to do, he moved over to the gem and leaned his shoulder into the crystal just before Aylaeth shoved the gem with her staff. Hopefully it would to shove the crystal over and free the Wyverling.
Lin held her ground, seated next to the tapestry and watching the destroyed promenade doors warily. She was thankfully not alone though, although she wondered whether or not you could call it company. The silent armored priest continued to say nothing, watching as warily as she was and the boy... Looked more like a scrapper then a conversationalist and Keythan couldn't be expected to say much either.
She barely staved off a sigh as she watched through one of the holes in the roof. The sounds of battle and the Red Dragonflights unstoppable advance. This wasn't looking good, not at all. She held her breath incase the flames crept to close once more...
Laughing good naturedly at the predicament of his teammate, Jorzan tosses down his haversack to the indecent Izmirian so the man can finally get dressed
Although he had not as yet shared a single word with her, he definitely now shares her anxiety over their missing riders, so, although to speak mortal tongues was uncomfortable for his throat, Tora'an says in his deep, rumbling voice "Do not worry Lin, they shall return to us. And we shall guard their way back against all comers until they do."
Sometimes she forgot that Aylaeth's companion was there , as he was so quiet and still that he was more like a statue then a living creature. Lin try not to jump out of her scales when he spoke. "We can defend against the living, but I cannot do much against their siege weapons. That is what worries me, they have struck near here twice and knowing their kind it usually means they are homing in on important positions. I don't know if this was just their way of gauging distance..."
"We'll be gone soon," Kelne told Lin, looking up from his blood-acquiring work as he realised those left outside had little idea what was going on, "There's a tapestry inside which links to Stormfare. We're going to roll this one up and send it through, then teleport the Stormfare tapestry out as well. The difficult part is going to be running Omir to ground." As he spoke about the tapestries, he abruptly realised that there was one other tapestry in front of him right now. Kelne studied it briefly, less concerned with identifying a location than with figuring out if it was of a kind with the others.
Lin nodded at Kelne's words, she had never been to Stormfare and looked forward to the experience. She stepped forward slowly and peered quizzically at the tapestry before Kelne. "Is it like the other ones you've found? Shall I test it then?" She steps forward smelling it for a moment before looking back at Kelne.
Sir Justahl pauses while donning his armor.
"You mean the Baron didn't just fall to ash when he died in the promenade?"He said with astonishment.
"It looks as though he used a spell to escape at the last minute."
Continues to cut down and roll up......
@Kelne, @Lin, @Tora'an: As you investigate the southern tapestry in the promenade, you realize the north tapestry only worked when one certain part of it was "pressed"; the Feral Boy discovered this feature earlier as Kelne observed. With this in mind, you move from likely entrance to likely entrance, trying to find out if this tapestry is similarly enchanted.
Outside, the sounds of battle continue to close in. Between the three of you, it is easy to notice through the massive, gaping hole in the southeastern Promenade wall the slow but relentless march of the Red Dragonflight soldiers; more and more staked vampire corpses are piling up in the streets of Ormiria as the last of the Baron's defenses crumble. Regular citizens are mostly running and joining the approaching army, pointing out hiding places of the aristocracy and vampiric minions and thralls, with only a few residents trying to fight off the invasion, and all of those meeting a quick fate at the skilled blades of the conquerors.
You have only several minutes more before they reach the palace.
There is a loud screeching cry high above, and you all look up through the hole to see the white dragons flying up to a fifth dragon that is much larger and older than the others. It is looking slowly down and around, seeming to take everything in. When the others reach it, all five move into a delta formation and begin to slowly glide down towards the palace, but they fly over the rim of the hole you're looking out of and are quickly out of sight.
A trundling noise steals your attention and you look back down at the ground in time to see over a dozen large siege engines being wheeled in through the gates. All of them are pointed at the palace.
Suddenly, with a gasp, Lin gets pulled into the southern tapestry and vanishes. There is a representation of an iron door that Kelne does not recognize that she had been trying. Etched in it is the crest of Ormiria. Another secret of the tapestries; apparently one is either all the way on one side or the other, and cannot exist between. Thus far it hasn't really been an issue as you've all been rushing from the "prison room" into the Promenade and back; but now, when trying to just find a door, it has possibly created a problem.
@Lin: You find yourself in a 15'x15' hallway. Behind you is bare rock wall marked only with a sloppily-painted red "X", to your left and right alike are big iron doors like the one depicted in the tapestry you just pressed on. Each door is fairly large; about 14' high and 10' wide and set on gigantic steel or iron hinges riveted right into the bare rock, and both are equidistant from your current position, with one 50' to your left and one 50' to your right. In front of you is the bare rock wall of this cavern. The floor is rock covered with dirt and a smattering of bones, dried blood, and rotted viscera. You are suddenly made aware of a terrible, terrible smell. You also realize that the temperature in this hallway is unbearably hot, to the extent that the very ground is practically burning your feet, or feels like it.
From behind the right door you hear nothing, but from behind the left door gruff voices can be heard yelling in Infernal and Abyssal, along with the sound of whips cracking and many voices mumbling and shouting and yelling and wailing incoherently. Above it all is the sound of arcane tongues incanting spells, and the distinctive keening scream of very young children crying.
In the "prison room": With an earsplitting *CRASH* the gem-prison holding the wyverling explodes into 9,999 tiny shards on the ground. The sleek black-and-silver creature shakes its head, then lurches uneasily into the air and begins rocketing towards the door without a word.
Min grunts as the crystal finally tumbles over. As he recovers though he gives a shout at the retreating Wyverling. "HEY! Ugh damn blast it... Your Welcome! Gah, whats his rush? By the way, can anyone identify what the demon is? Because sooner or later, it too is gonna break free..." Min rises and dusts himself off. "I guess we will free the Woman next eh?" Min moves and puts his shoulder against the crystal and starts shoving against it.