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Koshukhep wrecks the double-dealing merchant's kiosk, causing dozens of coppers in damage to his wares.
Fazeem runs as far and as fast as he can.
After a night's sleep and some errands in the city, the Band of the Black Fire return to the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye. The head directly to the stairs leading below.
A stone bench sits against the eastern wall of this octagonal chamber. Black tiles line the floor, walls, and ceiling. A short passage to the south ends at a gate of bronze bars.
The gate to the south is closed and locked.
You detect faint bloody footprints between the gate and the stairs.
Once opened, the gate automatically swings closed and relocks on the following round unless somehow prevented from doing so. This is a mechanical feature caused by concealed springs in specially designed hinges, as well as the design of the lock. This automatic closing and relocking feature can be permanently disabled with a separate successful DC 25 Disable Device check.
+2 vs. humans
"Tracks. Our wounded friend has been this way," Koshukhep rumbled, squatting to examine the faint marks on the floor. His neck was conspicuously bare of the shiny, shiny charm he had borne previously, though he still wore others here and there.
"Alright, let's make with the opening of the gate here. Kwin, you're up."
"Surely," Kwin says as he moves into position. With a derisive snort after briefly examining the lock, he doesn't even bother to unroll his kit, simply banging it on one end and taking the first two tools that present themselves.
"Piece of pie. I ain't opening it, though," he adds as he steps back.
Kwin manages to disable the part of the lock that would have the door swing closed and lock. Once the door has been secured, the statue with a white and black face mask of Nethys animates and moves in to attack.
+4 w/o panache
Koshukhep: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Torin: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Djehuti: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Ahmed: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Izra: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Kwin: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Monster: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Suri: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Koshukhep grabbed his adamantine flail and stepped forward to do battle. "The living building should have warned its parts," he growled as he took a swing.
Though he seemed more confident now that the div's curse had been lifted, he was still wary of offending a god by destroying its likeness, and his first attack glanced harmlessly off the statue's surface. Stepping back, he grabbed at his charms, cycling through them rapidly in search of one to ward off divine wrath.
Koshukhep's flail bounces off.
"Better than more ghoulies, I guess"
Torin glances in his hip quiver, and pulls out a pair of blunt arrows:
"Getting really tired of this," Kwin says as he moves into the room while reaching for his sword. Then, seeing Torin deploying blunt arrows, he decides to instead follow the Dwarf's lead.
Most of the arrows seem to deflect, only one of Torin's does any significant damage. But the statue continues unimpeded.
Koshukhep: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Torin: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Djehuti: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Ahmed: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Izra: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Kwin: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Monster: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Suri: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Graven Guardian AC 21, HP 45/53
Ahmed touches Suri on the arm. "Ra would have these false gods torn asunder." He says simply. She nods in response, knowing what she has to do, and feeling the certainty strengthen her resolve.
Izra ducked into the room, her shield raised and mace ready to hand. She whispered a few words, then reached out with her shield hand and touched Koshu on the shoulder, causing the cool blessings of Pharasma flow into the Catfolk warrior.
With his spells replenished from their tactical retreat, Djehuti decides to unleash his stone-cracking scream on the statue.
Djehuti unleashes an ear-piercing scream spell, but the statue seems unaffected.
Then Ahmed and Izra cast spells of guidance to aid their companions.
The statue takes its staff and begins to pummel the catfolk ranger.
; Hit!
; Hit!
; Miss
Koshukhep: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Torin: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Djehuti: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Ahmed: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Izra: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Kwin: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Monster: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Suri: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Graven Guardian AC 21, HP 45/53
Djehuti grimaces as his spell fails to affect the statue and pulls out a vial of acid to throw.
Izra's eyes widened as the statue hammered into Koshukhep. Her instinct was to try to heal the catfolk warrior, but the statue was strong and fast enough that she feared it would only pound her companion into paste faster than she could heal him.
So.
"Keep him from the boneyard," she whispered a prayer to the goddess that had sent her here, "His life serves Your will - or at least helps me to." Her words became something in a language unknown to men (or cats), as Izra tapped into the power of her Goddess, touched Koshukhep's shoulder, and the air shimmered briefly, a cold, empty breeze washing over Koshukhep, and wrapping him in the protection of his own faith - bolstered by her own.
"Ow," Kwin states calmly as he pauses to wiggle a pinky in each of the ears facing Djehuti. Then, as the statue begins pummeling his friend, the kitsune quickly nocks and unleashes another arrow.
Reeling from the pounding he'd taken, blood running freely from his nose and muzzle, Koshu's faith firmed at Izra's touch. With a wordless snarl, he swung his adamantine flail again, with both hands...
...and knocked a chunk off the statue's body.
"Sekhmet, hear me! I will see this pile of stone fall!" he roared, drawing the flail back for another blow.
Torin fires a couple more arrows,
, chipping away at the ancient statue.
The wounded Koshukhep manages to knock a large crack into the statue with his flail. And Djehuti throws a vial of acid on the statues face, melting the white side of it. Kwin and Torin fire arrows, but only Tori manages to knock off a sizable chunk off the monster.
Meanwhile, Izra weaves a magical cloak of faith on the Ranger to try and protect him.
Koshukhep: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Torin: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Djehuti: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Ahmed: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Izra: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Kwin: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Monster: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Suri: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Graven Guardian AC 21, HP 29/53
Suri takes a few swings at the statue, but seems unable to damage the stone with her hands.
Ahmed grits his teeth as the creature persists. [b]"Does anyone know its weaknesses?" He cries out.
Suri is unable to damage the statue.
Koshukhep: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Torin: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Djehuti: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Ahmed: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Izra: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Kwin: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Monster: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Suri: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Graven Guardian AC 21, HP 29/53
This appears to be a graven guardian. A type of construct that is crafted with the iconography of a religious sect. Often they can ignore recognized members of their faith unless provoked first. Otherwise, they are fierce defenders of holy places.
They are resistant to magic.
Koshukhep pressed the attack, forcing the statue to fall back a step, then another. He growled triumphantly as another chip was knocked off its shoulder by his flail, and spat blood from his bleeding mouth.
"You need not worry about my honor! Come, attack this statue! Sekhmet is with us! We cannot lose!"
"It is a graven guardian. If any of us appeared to be worshippers of Nethys it might have ignored us. It is resistant to magic." He dug out another flask of acid and threw it at the statue.
"Thanks for the information. Not really sure how that helps. Run away and go buy some Nethys religious tokens?"
Torin keeps plunking away,
Koshukhep takes a chunk out of the statue with his adamantine flail. And then Djehuti burns a bit of its face off. But Torin's arrows seem to ping off without having any effect.
The monster looks battered, but is still standing.
Koshukhep: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Torin: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Djehuti: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Ahmed: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Izra: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Kwin: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Monster: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Suri: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Graven Guardian AC 21, HP 21/53
"Didn't somebody mention that god before?" Kwin asks as he fires another blunt arrow.
"This is Nethys's temple. The huecuvas at the ruined shrine pretended to be worshippers, but their curse was likely that they blasphemed or committed some heresy." It might not be particularly useful, but Djehuti hated to leave a question unanswered.
"Oh... right. Kosh!" he calls out. "Surely you have a Nethys... thingie... among all those charms hanging around your neck like you're Mr. T? Flash that thing, would ya!"
Izra smacked Koshu on the shoulder (not the nose, this time) with her wand, hoping to heal some of the big cat's hurts.
Kwin's arrow bounces off without doing any damage. Izra heals Koshukhep.
With the others having trouble attacking the creature, Ahmed feels obligated to give it a go as well, and swings at it with his sickle, feeling the fire coursing within his blood, unable to escape his present form. It flares up as he swings, and as veins bulge in his arms and neck, they begin to glow from the flames coursing within.
Koshu scrunched up his face in doubt, but one paw went to the charms dangling from his neck, flicking through them quickly.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Ahmed makes a heavy strike with his sickle, taking a large chunk out of the statue.
Despite all of the damage it has taken, the statue is still combat ready. It rears back with its staff and swings at Koshukhep.
; Hit!
Koshukhep nimbly dodges the first attack, but cannot quite dodge the second. The staff slams against his head with a hideous wet thud and a crack. The ranger sways and falls to the ground.
Koshukhep: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Torin: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Djehuti: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Ahmed: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Izra: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Kwin: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Monster: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Suri: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Graven Guardian AC 21, HP 18/53
"Kosh!" the kitsune yells in a panic, flinging his bow aside and drawing a sword as he rushes the statue.
Instead of lying still where he fell, Koshukhep rolled away and staggered to his feet, backing away from the terribly efficient guardian.
"Careful, Kwin. That thing loosened my teeth," he grunted; no need to tell the others about the zinging stars in his vision that danced in time to his throbbing head. They would only worry.
Torin provides some covering fire for Koshu:
Koshukhep backs away while Kwin tries to take his place to less-than-hoped-for success. Meanwhile, Torin unleashes a volley that heavily damage the statue, but don't quite bring it down.
Koshukhep: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Torin: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Djehuti: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22
Ahmed: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Izra: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Kwin: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Monster: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Suri: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Graven Guardian AC 21, HP 6/53
Without speaking, Suri and Ahmed move to close the gap between where Koshu backed up, keeping themselves between him and the statue while he recovers.
Djehuti pulls out another vial of acid and lobs it at the statue nearly drops it on his own feet.