Nodding to the merchant Filbert takes his leave with the others. Once out of sight from the Merchant, Filbert draws the aether around him and disappears, moving up to Zarine, lightly grabbing Zandomir's arm as he goes by. "It's me"
The party head south through a wide dusty corridor which has a stillness that suggests of countless ages. At the end of the wide corridor there smaller one that heads east and there's a doorway in which hangs heavy but frayed curtains.
You push past the curtains to find what was once the communal dining hall. This would have been the focus of activity here at the caravanserai, where travelers would have brokered alliances and hatched plots and even double crossed each other. The room has three elegant wooden tables and stools of varying sizes, all lacquered in a rich black. A few plates and a pitcher are stacked on a sideboard, covered in dust. Once so full of life, this forsaken place is lonely and forlorn.
As the group travels south, Zan nods toward the corridor to the east. "There's a well hidden door that connects to the central courtyard. Could be useful if we need to make a quick exit."
Once in the dining hall, Zandomir nods again toward the pitcher on the sideboard. "There a moderate transmutation aura coming from that. Wonder what type of magic could have survived in this forsaken place?"
Momijii nodded her agreement with everyone about their next goal and placed herself in the usual spot. She kept her eyes out for trouble as they headed south towards the frayed curtains and found the whole thing kind of creepy. She'd never bee a fan of still and abandoned places, you never knew what you would run into, as the tension drove her crazy. She was so nervous that she completely missed the concealed door Zandomir pointed out.
As they entered the dinning hall she felt that emptiness again. For such a place once alive with people dinning and enjoying each others company to be so empty and forlorn seemed completely wrong. It left her feeling sad, like something was missing from her own life, something she'd lost so long ago the memory likely would never return to her.
The place was so eerie and empty, the weight of what it once was so present, that Momijii could swear she heard faint whispers of long ago....she did hear whispers. Her tension wracking up even higher Momijii spoke quietly, "I don't like this, do you hear the voices?" Her eyes were widening in panic as she realized this couldn't be a good thing.
A sudden movement surprises you. Through both doorways and walking through both frayed curtains as if they weren't there, dozens of spectral servants appear, laden with spectral pitchers of wine, great amphora filled with olives, and a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables which are laid down on the tables. Apparently a feast is being prepared!
The spectral servants fuss with the spread for a while before departing, and at no stage do any of them acknowledged you no matter what you do. Then the ghostly forms of diners appear throughout the hall, mimicking the conversations of the past: a wealthy night hag with elaborately coiffed hair makes imperious demands to human servants; three surly, turbaned humanoids confer over a detailed image of the moon; and a group of hooded ghouls examine a human head made of terracotta. Their voices echo in an overlapping, unintelligible maddening cacophony accompanied by a great swell of negative emotions!
Zarine <----- WE ARE HERE
Filbert Springbit Unconcious
Momijii
Lizzie "beads" Tamar'
Zandomir
Heinrich
Zarine, Momijii, Lizzie "beads" Tamar', Zandomir and Heinrich are up.
Agrippa's eyes narrow at the haunt's effects. He attempts to ascertain how to destroy it.
(fail)
Good catch on that secret door. I didn't see it at all.
(pass)
(fail)
Yes, I hear the voices too!
(pass)
Zarine feels a wave of negative emotion, and goes back out of the room to get away from it. She looks around to see if there is a threat (someone attacking the party).
Otherwise, she does nothing, waiting to see if the dream will go away again, or if it is something they have to deal with.
Filbert remains invisible to the side of the door they entered through trying to make sense of the conversation going on nearest to him.
Momijii felt a wash of negative emotions wash over her but refused to let them affect her. Her discipline gave her the strength to resist whatever just happened and she knew she was in trouble when the spectral figures appeared. When the ghostly nighthag and ghouls appeared they grabbed Momijii's immediate attention. Even though they were ghostly she wasn't letting them get her if she could help it. She adopted her stance and moved towards the hag where she lashed out with a sharp kick.
Since Momiji is quicker than Lizzie is, Lizzie will have to see if Momji's attack does anything, before deciding on joining in attacking the Hag or not.
Zarine remains unaffected and waits to see what happens.
Likewise Filbert is unaffected and he waits to see what might happen.
Adopting a fighting stance, Momijii lashed out at one of the bickering spectral figures but nothing happened, her foot sailed through and it didn't react in the slightest.
Zarine
Filbert Springbit
Momijii
Lizzie "beads" Tamar' <----- WE ARE HERE
Zandomir
Heinrich
Lizzie "beads" Tamar', Zandomir, Heinrich, Zarine, Filbert Springbit and Momijii are up.
Zandomir's ears perk up as the ghostly procession appears. He keeps his bow at the ready in case a tangible target appears.
Keeping his bow in one hand, Zan tries to dispel the ghastly apparitions. The Dreamlands are creepy enough. There's no need for a hag and ghouls.
Zarine holds her actions until/unless we seem to be attacked in some way.
Lizzie holds off on attacking, as Momiji's attack went through thin air.
If Agrippa indeed shares its nature, Lizzie watches to see if Zandomir's action has effect.
Agrippa speaks up This is the spectral remains of a previous tenant. Some part of their mortal coil trapped here....it's not real. Energy from the Positive Plane may dispel it..temporarily.
Zandomir's invocation floods the area with white light which seems to cause some of the spectral figures to fade, but most are still there.
"Perhaps we should leave. None of us seem to have been harmed by... whatever this is. We can try to post warnings for whoever else might come this way, but there's no sense in staying in the room ourselves."
Zan nods toward the door they entered through and starts walking that way. If or when everyone is safely out of the room, he'll look for something he can use to make a warning sign for whoever might pass through next.
Indeed. Agrippa agrees with Zandomir's assessment.
Seeing that everyone is ready to leave, Zarine starts down the hall and around the corner. She checks for traps as she goes.
"Nice trick Zandomir, but don't thjink these folks are in need of that type of healing"
Dropping his invisibility for the moment Filbert follows the others out of the room and joins Zarine at the front.
Zandomir once more makes sure Zarine doesn't get too far ahead, not wanting more corporeal threats to present themselves with her out front alone.
Zarine finds the corridor extends a fair way to the west before turning north. Mid way along the corridor there's another rotted curtain behind which is a large room. Inside are decorative tiles with irregular geometric shapes which cover the walls, their distorting perspective obscures it's size. Three deep baths, empty of water, are separated by narrow walkways and hanging curtains of tattered fabric. All seems silent and empty.
Zandomir picks up one of the closest pieces of rubble and hastily scribes 'stay away' in common next to the entrance to the haunted room. Better than nothing.
Continuing down the path with everyone else, Zan cranes his neck to see what the new room contains. Unable to get close without barging past most of the group, he says instead, "Anything interesting in there?"
Zarine hears Zandomir's question and says
Not sure yet. Looks empty, but so did the last place at first. I'm going to check. You guys stay out here just in case.
She then steps in, just 5 feet at first, and stops to see if things change.
Filbert remains close to Zarine as she enters the rooms to investigate.
Agrippa follows behind, his eyes alert for danger.
Seeing nothing of import immediately after entering, the geometric shapes of the 'mirrors' capture his attention and he begins to see how the reflections are aimed.
Zandomir waits outside, alert for any threats that might try to creep up while half the group is examining the washroom.
Lizzie's not the most perceptive, and thus just moves alongside whoever is walking up front.
"You know, since we're encountering strange people in here, would anything out of happier dreams be in here as well?"
As Zarine approaches the western pool she notices that unlike the empty middle one, it appears to be filled with an unidentified viscous, soot-colored liquid. The surface ripples as she bends down to take a closer look and to Filbert and Lizzie's horror a writhing storm of black tentacles shoots up out of the water!
A huge pseudo-pod of the sooty "water" with a ragged maw surges up out of the pool, apparently attempting to engulf Zarine! Reflexively she flinched and drew back, spoiling it's aim. A quartet of smaller sooty black tentacles of water erupts near Zarine two of them reach for Zarine and they slam into her with bone breaking force! The other two go for Lizzie, her armor turns aside one but the other smashes her in the face.
<--- Auto miss.
<--- Hit.
<--- Hit.
<--- Miss.
<--- Hit.
Tentacled Horror
Momijii <----- WE ARE HERE
Zandomir
Zarine
Heinrich
Lizzie "beads" Tamar'
Filbert Springbit
Momijii, Zandomir, Zarine, Heinrich, Lizzie "beads" Tamar' and Filbert Springbit are up.
Zarine steps back, not frightened, but certain that she will die if she is hit like that again. She shoots at the thing, hoping that the solidity she felt when it wounded her badly means that she can wound it in return.
(point blank, rapid shot)
(point blank, rapid shot)
"Zarine!" Zan shouts almost unconsciously as he hears the commotion inside the washroom.
The warpriest steps into the room to get a better look. Unsure what the tentacle monstrosity is, but certain it's unfriendly after seeing the wounds on Zarine and Lizzie, Zandomir casts a spell, hoping to aid his allies in resisting the monstrosity's evils.
As the pool erupts with black pseudopods attacking both Zarine and Lizzie, unconsciously Filbert begins backing away, fingers trembling. Catching sight of himself in one of the mirrors , his attention is broken from the pool by the odd reflection.
"Lizzie, Zarine!" he cries out before sending an arcing blast at the pool. Electricity and water don't normally mix
Agrippa doesn't recognize the creature, but he recognizes the danger. Agrippa downs a tonic and gets closer to the creature.
Status: Clay Skin DR 5/adamantine 70min or 35Damage
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Lizzie decides to test her new sword.
Momijii kept with the group as they found what appeared to be baths and entered staying towards the front to handle any trouble they came across. She didn't trust this room and kept a careful eye on it as Zarine moved in. When it happened it was far too fast for her despite her caution as the tentacles lashed out and went after Zarine and Lizzie. Momijii gave a cry of surprised fear at the sudden attack but didn't let that stop her from attacking.
Shifting into her combat stance Momijii unleashed a flurry of strikes at the creature. Both of her hands lashed out in a clawing motion and then she scythed one foot around at the thing's "head".
Momijii rushes into the room, vaulting past Lizzie and placing herself in front of Zarine. One of the writhing smoke-colored tentacles snakes out and grips her leg and starts crushing it! Momijii hisses in annoyance before lashing out with a powerful punch which severs the tentacle, only for it to reform further away!
Zandomir calls upon Desna's aid to battle this cosmic horror. With a flash of radiance hinting of butterflies, a little bit of the Lady's Luck's rubs off on each of you!
Shielded by Momijii, Zarine nooks and draws a arrow. She peers past Momijii and releases point blank, surely she couldn't miss something so large? The writhing mass of tentacles proved to be shockingly fast, nearly reacting in time to dodge the arrow. It hit a tentacle, seeming to stick there for a bit before falling out to no obvious ill-effect. Her second shot went wide of the mark.
Heinrich downs a special infusion that gave his skin the appearance and toughness of damp clay. Red Destiny in hand, he them pushed past Lizzie to stand on the front line!
Behind Heinrich, Filbert jut about manages to hold it together. He summons a crackling balk of lightning which he throws at the amorphous monster, but to his horror the writing tentacles sinuously parted, allowing the bast to harmless sail past before detonating on the far wall, displacing several tiles.
Holding firm in the face of this tentacled monstrosity, Lizzie tries an experimental swipe with her new sword. It makes a SHWICK sound and it makes an ominous ringing noise as she strikes. Yet nothing seems to happen. The sword went cleanly through a tentacle or rather the tentacle seemed to move around the sword even faster than it was swung!
The amorphous blob's main pseudopod rises up once more and crashes down upon Momijii, hoping to engulf her, or it would have done if it hadn't been terribly slow. She easily sidestepped this clumsy attack, but not one of the tentacles which snuck round behind to clout her painfully on the head!
<--- Natural 1, AUTO MISS
<--- HIT
A pair of tentacles aim for the next most tempting target, Heinrich. Both of them bludgeon him painfully but with less bruising than you might expect all things considered!
<--- HIT
<--- HIT
The final tentacle lands on Lizzie's armor, oozes up the length of her left arm before striking at her exposed neck, leaving a nasty bleeding laceration!
<--- HIT
Tentacled Horror
Momijii <----- WE ARE HERE
Zandomir
Zarine
Heinrich
Lizzie "beads" Tamar'
Filbert Springbit
Spoiler:Tentacled Horror
Momijii Beackon of Luck (69 rounds)
Zandomir Beackon of Luck (69 rounds)
Zarine Beackon of Luck (69 rounds)
Heinrich Beackon of Luck (69 rounds), Clay Skin (25hp left) (699 rounds)
Lizzie "beads" Tamar' Beackon of Luck (69 rounds)
Filbert Springbit Beackon of Luck (69 rounds)
Tentacled Horror
Momijii Beackon of Luck (68 rounds)
Zandomir Beackon of Luck (68 rounds)
Zarine Beackon of Luck (68 rounds)
Heinrich Beackon of Luck (68 rounds), Clay Skin (25hp left) (698 rounds)
Lizzie "beads" Tamar' Beackon of Luck (68 rounds)
Filbert Springbit Beackon of Luck (68 rounds)
Momijii, Zandomir, Zarine, Heinrich, Lizzie "beads" Tamar' and Filbert Springbit are up.
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Agrippa flinches from the blows, but his magical armor takes the brunt of the damage.
Agrippa activates Red Destiny and it blazes to life, the brilliant red blade casting eerie shadows. He studies his opponent....and then plunges Red Destiny home.
Zarine shrugs. If she dies, she dies. That's the risk of every day.
Unfortunately she can't cast her best area effect spells because of all the people in front of her (although it is also good because they are protecting her). She decides the best way to help is to summon a swarm, so she begins to do so.