Cephelo's mighty blow rakes through the skeleton from shoulder to hip, spraying fragments of mushrooms and bone. The skeleton falls to the ground, not moving. His second swing connects with the skeleton behind it, cleaving more bone from its body.
Lantressa's magic missiles strike the same skeleton, magical force blasting fungus from its already burned body.
AC 14 | FF 13 | T 11 | HP 45/45 | Init: +1 | Percep: +8 | Fort: +6| Ref: +3 | Will: +9
assuming that Trey has a visual on the creatures through the poison gas
Trey holds her staff pointed toward the remaining creature, it had resisted the light of Sarenrae once, but it will not evade the Fire of the dawnflower's power.
It comes! Through thy divine grace, O Great and Glorious Sarenrae, The Fires of your light, quench the darkness that defiles your light.
Trey's beam blasts through the creature, searing away its tattered remains. Typhon edges closer to the poison cloud to lob a vial of acid at the skeleton. The acid burns away more bone and fungus from the creature, it seems badly injured based on how much of its strange body remains.
Typhon ranged touch:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9 Typhon's dmg:1d6 ⇒ 6 Wow, same rolls as last time...
Yet the fungal skeleton defends its home, attacking Cephelo with its scimitar and spiked shield, managing to strike the man with one of its three swings.
Behind it, the third skeleton rises steps off of the ledge and floats closer to Cephelo, it too bringing its scimitar to bear. As he blocks the blows from the other skeleton, this one penetrates his defenses, scoring a hit.
Cephelo is not fazed by the haze of toxic spores. His axe sweeps out twice, shattering the second skeleton to pieces! His third blow swings wide, missing the skeleton behind it.
Lantressa's magic missiles strike the third and last fungal guardian, though it hovers over the chasm, ready to continue the fight.
Only able to reach Cephelo, the fungal skeleton takes two more swings at Cephelo and attempts another shield bash. One of its strikes slashes across Cephelo's arm, but he brings his axe up in time to parry the second. The skeleton slams its shield into an opening created by the parry. Cephelo takes 11 damage from one attack and 9 damage from another before DR
thanks for DMPCing ! Lotsa stuff goin on in RL right now.
Out of acid and desperately trying to avoid the spore cloud Ty draws his only flask of alchemical Fire and hurls it at he fungal skeletons.
ranged touch attack:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12 fire damage:1d6 ⇒ 1
Typhon's fire and the burst of sound from Trey's wand finish the final skeleton. It crumbles into a pile of fungus, indistinguishable from the mushrooms growing around it.
Among the three fallen skeletons, you find three sets of +1 chain mail and three +1 light steel shields.
In the sudden silence, the only sound that can be heard is the gentle lapping of water against the stony shore far below you. Deeper in the cavern, the three rope bridges connect to the exit from the room.
Take any chance you need to cast spells or heal up before moving on to this next chamber.
Climbing down the rope bridges and a rope ladder, you descend even deeper into the cave, finally reaching a stony protrusion at ground level. This protrusion rises from a rocky beach overlooking the sloshing, salty waters of a sea cave.
Across the water, a single wooden pier extends out into a gently sloshing pool of sea water. A shallow-draft barge is docked at the pier, a single unlit lantern hanging from its bow. Supporting timbers and brickwork line parts of the lower edge of the cave to the west and south, showing where the original sea cave has been artificially expanded. To the north, a twenty-five foot wide waterway provides an aquatic exit from the cave - the distant, muted sounds of the surf echo from that direction.
A single door is set into the wall to to the northeast. A set of double doors to the south is engraved with the same giant woman riding a tiger that you've seen throughout the Arkona manor.
I moved your minis on the map to mark your current location.
Male human bloodrager 7 | HP 58/74 | AC 21 | T 13 | FF n/a | CMB+10 | CMD 23 | Fort +9 | Ref +7 | Will +7 | Perc +11
Cephelo panted as he recovered his breath. Bloodied but alive was always a good way to end the battle.
He noted his wounds and asked for help, "Trey, I'm afraid I got too close to the axes. Would you bless me with your goddess' light?"
He then inspected and discarded the armor and weapon, but stashed them for later retrieval.
True to his style, the man suggested inspecting the single door before turning their attention to the doors to the south. He waited for someone to determine whether the door was trapped and/or locked...
Looking at what's left of the creature's, Lantressa finds herself somewhat relieved, "Well, if that's the worst this place has we should be just fine. Is everyone alright?"
The simple wooden door is surprisingly unadorned, compared to the other parts of the Arkona household. Typhon does not find any traps or hear any sounds coming from behind the door. It is not locked
Further to the south, Typhon finds that a section of the wall is cleverly carved to conceal a secret passage. Pressing a certain area causes the wall to shift, revealing a winding stone tunnel.
The double stone doors are not locked or trapped either. Listening at them, Typhon can hear a faint rasping sound of something moving against the stone floor. He also hears the crackle of a fire or torches.
Relating the info to the rest of the group, Ty points to the hidden door.
"I say we go that way first."
Out of flasks, he draws his second dagger again.
The winding stone tunnel leads downward and to the east. Eventually, it curves sharply to the north, ending at a pair of large bronze double doors, each carved with images of tigers chasing other tigers in four adjacent circles. At the center of each circle of tigers, a snarling tiger head looks out. The double doors are unlocked.
Cephelo, Trey:
Trey and Cephelo feel a faint breeze coming from the east, although the chamber dead ends into a rocky wall.
dice:
1d20 ⇒ 19 1d20 ⇒ 3 1d20 ⇒ 12 1d20 ⇒ 5
I'm working on the map, I will have it updated before I go to bed tonight. This part of the dungeon is a little odd.
Looking around the new area, Lantressa can't help but wonder where to go from here. She tries to be patient, but as the wait mounts she begins to hum a wordless tune to occupy her mind.
" Huhn. Nicely done Trey! Didn't see that one."
Ty states as he moves forward, apparently Through the wall.
stealth:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16 perception:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16
Cephelo cautiously followed behind the rogue believing (wrongly) that he was better suited at finding any traps built into this underground 'fortress'.
Startled at the sudden disappearance of Trey's hand, Lantressa laughs lightly and says, "Well, that is one way to pierce and illusion. Shall we proceed then?"
Opening the door to the east of your current location, you find that this large room is lit by a heartily burning fire pit in the room’s center. Cages hang on chains dangling from hooks in the ceiling, while racks, strappadoes, gibbets, and other implements of torture fill the floor space. A pair of immense wooden doors stand in the wall to the north, while to the south stand several narrow cells.
A tall, feminine figure stands over a torture device at the opposite end of the room. Her golden tanned skin and well-formed curves, suggest years of activity and work toward physical perfection. Beneath her diaphanous robes, the creature’s legs cross over one another, while six arms—two facing toward her back— wave in a continuous dance. Three fanged heads sit atop a sturdy neck. One is paying close attention to her task - strapping a man with black hair, peppered with gray, into a stretching rack. The man is sobbing and crying for release.
Her other two heads study every direction, immediately noticing your entrance. She draws a long, curved ceremonial sword with two hands, a spear in a third hand, and a kukri in the fourth. One of the fanged faces frowns at you. "Pitiful gnats! You dare interrupt my work?" With a wave of her hands, the six-armed woman's outline blurs, making it difficult to tell her exact position.
She cast blur, giving everyone a 20% miss chance against her. Feel free to roll it yourself if you'd like, rolling 1-20 means that you miss.
Initiative order: Enemy, Cephelo, Lantressa, Trey, Typhon.Party is up!
Typhon and Trey:
Typhon and Trey recognize this room from their visit to the Academae. The wizard there showed you Seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis being tortured in this very place. It is him that is being placed on the rack at this moment.
DC15 knowledge: local or nobility:
You immediately recognize the man being strapped to the stretching rack as Neolandus Kalepopolis, Korvosa's missing Seneschal.
Trey, anyone else DC 19 knowledge: planes:
The woman is a being known as a beatific one, a fiendish outsider who seeks physical and mental perfection through brutal combat and mastery of weaponry.
Knowledge (local):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Lantressa begins gesturing and chanting, the spell much more difficult than most. At the end of the spell she makes a gesture implying something growing and then touches Typhon's shoulder, "Enjoy your new found size Ty."
Casts Enlarge Person on Typhon.
Almost screwed up and cast that on Trey, glad I caught that it wouldn't work on her.
"Nooo!" The beatific one wails in pain as the holy light sears her unearthly flesh and blinds her! All three faces frantically attempt to look all around the room, but the beatific one is unable to see her foes. "Where are you? I will slaughter every last one of you!"
She will take a penalty to AC and all opponents are considered to be concealed to her (50% miss chance). I'll factor that in when you attack her and when it comes her turn to attack you.
The beatific one hears the swish of Cephelo's axe cutting through the air, but cannot pinpoint his location. His blow strikes home, axe biting into her robed body.
Round 1 initiative - just Typhon left, then Round 2!
Typhon takes advantage of the enemy's blindness to sneak around behind it, such that he and Cephelo could surround it.
Ty double moved to get into flanking with Cephelo.
Focusing on Cephelo's position, the many-armed being launches a flurry of blows in his direction with her sword, spear, and kukri. She strikes swiftly, but several of her attacks swish harmlessly above Cephelo's head, while he easily dodges others. She only manages to land one blow with her sword against him. Cephelo takes 8 dmg from one attack before any DR.
Typhon's enlarged dagger skewers the many-armed woman, right where he would expect a kidney to be. Although her anatomy is different than a human's, a gush of blood sprays from the wound. "If you kill me, I will at least take one of you with me!" she shrieks in frustration, unable to dodge Typhon's attacks.
AC 14 | FF 13 | T 11 | HP 45/45 | Init: +1 | Percep: +8 | Fort: +6| Ref: +3 | Will: +9
With the threat made, Trey looks upon the creature, Sarenrae's light protects us, and it light the end for you. a blast of holy light erupts from Trey's holy symbol toward teh creature
The holy burst ends the beatific one's life. She falls to the ground, her arms and legs twitching and kicking for a moment before falling still beneath her silken robes. Inspecting her body, you find she wields a +1 longsword, a +1 spear, a +1 kukri, a +2 cloak of resistance, and a set of keys.
From the rack, the shackled man, who you recognized as the missing seneschal groans. He attempts to raise his head to look at you, but the leather bands and shackles of the torture device hold him fast. He is dressed in filthy rags, his face slick with sweat, and his hair matted and grimy. "Please let me out. My name is Velak. I was captured by the Arkonas for robbing a merchant under their protection, and imprisoned here."
Seeing the man on the wrack, and hearing his pleas, Lantressa looks for the key to his restraints. Seeing them on the corpse of the creature, she casts a quick spell and makes sure that the keys and the manacles are safe from magic before attempting to free the man from the cruel device. "Do not worry, we will have you out in a moment."
The man who is Seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis, but is calling himself Velek the Thief, winces as Lantressa loosens his restraints. Once freed, he sits on the edge of the rack, rubbing his wrists and ankles, which you notice are bruised and rubbed raw, likely from previous time spent in the torture device. "Thank you. I don't know how to thank you for saving my life, and killing this creature that tortured me. But there is another man trapped here, my friend, Vencarlo Orisini, who we must save too. I will fight by your side, if you have any extra weapons to spare. And perhaps some clothing," he says with a faint smile, gesturing at the grimy rags he is wearing.
Taking a look at his rescuers, he asks "Are you prisoners of the Arkonas as well?"
Seeing him rub at his ankles and wrist Lantressa looks at him with sympathy and reaches out to take over the massaging of his wrists and ankles, "I am Lantressa and we do not have a lot of time, please, let me take care of that. Lord Arkona is the one who sent us down here to rescue you and Vencarlo, he told us about his wife's rather...extravagant tastes in entertainment and wants her stopped. I have worked for the both of them over the last year or so as a courtessan and have earned some amount of their confidence. Sadly none of my ability to read people did me any good in realizing what Lady Arkona was up to. As for clothing and equipment, I rather doubt that mine would fit you, nor do I use any weapons other than what my heritage gifted me. The others may have some to spare."
"A pleasure to meet you, Lantressa. As I said, I am Velek," Neolandus lies. He listens to Lantressa's story with interest, but says only "Yes, I didn't expect... this... from Lady Arkona." He gestures at the array of torture instruments. It's obvious that he's holding something back, not telling the entire reason he is here. "Are you friends of Vencarlo as well?" Although Neolandus attempts to hide his curiosity, it's clear that he wants to learn more about you before speaking freely.
"I suspect Vencarlo is in the labyrinth itself. This is only a torture chamber, where I can't kill myself by stumbling into a trap. The room to the west is where the torturer lived, when she wasn't abusing me."
Investigating the room to the west, it is as Neolandus said. The small room contains only a narrow bed, a stool, and a table, none appear to have been used in some time.
