|
Atronia lifts her eyes from the carvings as she hears a splash, some burbling and Newt's help. At the same time, she sees Jyrrar run into the other corridor to face the other threat.
"Be careful Jyrrar! Newt, I'm coming!"
She closes in as quickly as possible, but can't quite make it to the thing holding Vesi. She peers at it from the other side of the pool, trying to identify it.
Trix's crossbow bolt strikes home, as a greenish grey ichor oozes out from the wound. Baring his teeth angrily at Trixana, he spits out "You will regret that little one!"
The whirlpool in the center of the icy water reforms into a blob of living water, which quickly lashes out at Vesi pulling some of the chilled water into a powerful punch!
Jyrrar Rivurder
Newt the Drowned
Atronia
Trixalana
Water Elemental
Liora the Skydruid
Vesi the Devilfish
Deep One
Volyana
Vesi's beak snaps aggressively at the living water, but her attacks are buffeted by the elemental's natural hide
As the sling bullet bounces Harmlessly off of the Deep One's thick rubbery hide, he gives a sidelong glare at Liora. "After I tear through the little one, You're next you little wisp!" Stepping forward, and lashing out with his claws, The fishy aberration cut deeply into Jyrrar's stony flesh, before grinning. "Give me the little one to eat, and I'll let you live!"
Volyana
Jyrrar Rivurder
Newt the Drowned
Atronia
Trixalana
Water Elemental
Liora the Skydruid
Vesi the Devilfish
Deep One (-2)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Suddenly, your enemies flee as a wave of Pathfinders comes roaring through the area! One of them, a little green gnome on a riding dog, calls back at you. "Hey, we just heard that Sorrina's giving a big announcement. You don't want to miss it, do you?"
The asteroid groans as if an invisible weight had been lifted from it, leaving the air cleaner and breathing easier. The reassuring breeze emanating from tunnels suddenly drops in intensity, leaving a feeble stream that whistles weakly as it drifts off into space. A moment later, portals wreathed in tumbling stone open all across the asteroid, and Sorrina Westyr urgently beckons everyone to come through.
“We've truly grabbed the scorpion by the tail. Whatever entity was holding us at bay has loosened its grip, but it has redirected its efforts to cutting off the source of air that allows us to survive in this place. The path forward is no longer filled with lethal energy. We have at most…an hour or two before we must return home or face asphyxiation. But if we press forward and find the source of the air, I believe it is tied to whatever captive is imprisoned here. Our portal minders will stand ready in case we need to evacuate quickly.”
Sorrina leads the assembled Pathfinders toward the edge of an immense, steeply sloped tunnel that descends into a miles-wide, spherical cavern. A crude stone fortress floats near the cave's center as if it were a rocky sun, and enormous slabs of earth orbit it like a miniature asteroid belt. These slabs gravitate inward toward the fortress, but periodic blasts of air slow their approach and cast the jagged masses back toward the edge of the cavern. Each gust is slightly weaker than the last.
Robed figures cling to the rocky slabs and chant loudly, as if empowering the stone. Unimpressed, Sorrina Westyr casts a spell at one of the distant cultists and flings him off his crude platform.
“iiiiiieeeeeeee!” The cultist screams, arms and legs askew as he hurtles toward the fortress and collides with its surface with a faint splat.
“Woo hoo, Bullseye!” Drandle Dreng claps, then goes back to organizing a party of Pathfinders who are busily unpacking knotted ropes. “Hurry, there’s not a moment to lose!”
“We must get to that fortress,” Sorrina announces before signaling others to lower knotted ropes down to the cavern. “Clear off the opposition, then we'll make our way inside. I find it reassuring that whatever lies within the fortress has an aura of good, and no doubt seeks our aid.”
A rune-scribed floating island begins drifting beneath the tunnel and brushing against the lowered ropes. “These rocky fragments gravitate toward the fortress,” Sorrina shouts as she hangs from a rope. “If we can cling on before it travels out of reach, it should carry it toward our destination.” The iceberg-sized rock spins slightly, revealing a host of undead cultists that cease their chanting, point toward the Pathfinders, and let loose unholy wails. “Now!” cries the Master of Spells, and agents begin rappelling down to the crude platform.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As the platforms shift and shake in the open air, you can easily climb down (Knotted Rope DC 0) to the end of the ropes. Suspended about 15 feet above the rocks surface. A twisted priest, flesh decaying off her long dead body, chants with outstretched arms. As she chants, the body of a less careful Pathfinder rises from the ground.
Liora the Skydruid
Trixalana
Jyrrar Rivurder
Atronia
Newt the Drowned
Evil Priest
Volyana
Vesi the Devilfish
Careless Pathfinder
|
|
Once everyone is safely on the other side of the portal, Liora draws out her healing wand and beckons to Vesi and Jyrrar. "Here, I think you two were the only ones that took any hits in that last scuffle," she says as she gently taps the eidolon.
"There! All better," she grins. "Now let's get moving before our ride leaves without us!"
______
As the group descends the knotted ropes, Liora scowls at the sight of the twisted priest and her former-Pathfinder fleshpuppet. "Who even are these priests??? They need to be taught a lesson!"
Drawing her sling once more, she sends a bullet whizzing towards the ghastly priestess.
|
|
Jyrrar nods in thanks as the sylph patches up his wounds. "Your heart is as large as your spirit Liora." He then eyes the priestess stoicly. "This is an affront upon the natural order, and needs to be corrected." He states, advancing upon the priestess. His fist lashes out at her body trying to prevent her response.
Liora's sling stone strikes true, but bounces uselessly off of the flesh of the priestess.
Getting a bit closer, a tight braid is coiled around the back of the priestess's head, and a faded blue hand print is stitched onto the left breast of her clothing.
The Priestess moves fluidly out of the way of Jyrrar's strike, before balling her fists into a readied guard.
While readied for further attacks from Jyrrar, she does not expect the sudden thrust from Newt as he dashes around the corner. Getting a solid stab into her ribs, she lets out a shriek, but the puncture isn't nearly as deep as it should be for the force put behind it.
Priestess
Pathfinder
Liora the Skydruid
Trixalana
Jyrrar Rivurder
Atronia
Newt the Drowned
Evil Priest
Volyana
Vesi the Devilfish
Careless Pathfinder
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Trix narrows her eyes at the undead blasphemies before her. "Huecuva! Faithless, I will send you to face your judgement! Her body is resistant to normal weapons, but silver and magic weapons will punch through it." Suddenly a burst of golden light bursts out of Trix and engulfs the two undead monstrosities.
Holy Energy erupts from Trix's body, enveloping the two rotting creatures in holy light. Fading quickly, the channel seems more feeble than Trix's previous work as if being drained away by some unholy rite.
The priestess looks to Trix and cackles, as a greatsword splits her body and garb straight down the middle. She looks considerably less threatening in two pieces on the face of the asteroid.
Liora the Skydruid
Trixalana
Jyrrar Rivurder
Atronia
Newt the Drowned
Evil Priest
Volyana
Vesi the Devilfish
Careless Pathfinder -1
Volyana's whip slams into the pathfinder, crunching bone, but the animated pathfinder continues to stand. While the body is bruised and broken, it doesn't do much to slow down the undead.
Flailing with effort, the pathfinder awkwardly swings a fist at Volyana that is easily deflected.
Liora the Skydruid
Trixalana
Jyrrar Rivurder
Atronia
Newt the Drowned
Evil Priest
Volyana
Vesi the Devilfish
Careless Pathfinder -5
|
|
Grythyk, finally landing (carefully) on the moving asteroid looks down at the slain foe, and the enemy Priestess. "I recognize that blasphemy. But why would she go to Ayrzul?"
A moment after he lands, more pathfinders crowd onto the asteroid, either flying or falling. A woman with winged Sandles lands next to the poor zombie, and cradles his body in her arms.
"I can bring him back to the lodge, and we can patch him up there!" Grythyk adds, as Gamin snickers. "If you were better at your job, you could have done it yourself!"
|
|
The floating Vault is nearly a half-mile wide with defenses established in every direction. An adamantine shell encloses the structure; however this has been ruptured, and strands of the sky metal practically bleed from the holes in a vain attempt to repair the damage and reseal the area completely. The ground bulges all about, and chunks of earth and metal explode periodically as blasts of air billow out from within, driven by an unseen force.
Scratching his scaly head, Grythyk looks at your assembled party.
"Uh, does anyone know how to drive an Asteroid?"
"I think it is more of a Controlled Fall."
"Oh. Ok. Does anyone know how to control the fall of an Asteroid?"
With Newt's tips, it looks like when the mountain that you are riding on... uh... 'Lands' that you should have a good idea on how to scramble in making it a bit easier.
That being said the vault is about 2 miles off from when you started, so you should have some time if there is anything that you would like to do to prepare!
After a few minutes of Preparation the bubbling metal surface of the vault grows ever closer. Grythyk yells "BRACE FOR IMPACT!" as the vault comes up to meet you!
The ground rocks beneath you, as pathfinders jump off en mass. Jets of air burst through at random intervals, bursting through the outer metallic shell, making openings that other pathfinders are using to make their way inside. "I'll meet you in the vault! Keep Sharp in there," Grythyk yells before jumping headlong into one of the rapidly closing openings. Other rocks and platforms are looking to be crashing into the vault any second!
To avoid the , you can make a Acrobatics or Climb check (DC 12) OR a Reflex Save (DC 10). As it's pretty stressful finding a way inside, taking ten isn't really an option.
|
While the chunk of rock flies through the air, Newt draws a symbol on the ground similar to the one he drew when he summoned Vesi. He kneels and meditates before it.
Vesi waves her tentacles in farewell as she fades away into mist.
Kivi rises out of the stone as the ritual completes.
"This is going to be rough, huh?" Newt says before hurrying to scramble into the prison.
He notices the chunk of debris spinning towards him and leaps out of the way. Too slow, unfortunately. He chunk of rock strikes him hard in his ribs. "Ow!"
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kivi rises out of the stone beneath the symbol. "You called?"
The stone man's jaw drops as he realizes that he is on a piece of rock hurtling through the air. "What did I miss!?"
He collects his armor and straps it on before collecting his hammer from where Vesi left it when she evaporated.
Kivi grips the edges of the rock, quickly and expertly climbing towards the opening.
"Newt!" he calls out as the young man is struck by debris.
|
|
Atronia follows Jyrrar's advice to make her path on the rock before impact. She takes what little time she has to observe her companions, waves Vesi goodbye and smiles at Kivi when he shows up. "Welcome back!"
When they finally reach the vault, she manages to dodge every rock coming her way and makes it inside the vault. Looking around at the strange structure, she draws her sword out again. "Now what?"
|
|
When the time comes to make their move into the vault Liora almost seems to move as a leaf on the wind, easily dodging and spinning past the oncoming debris to reach the safety of one of the openings.
"That was exhilarating!" she gasps once everyone makes it inside. "Uh...well, for me anyway," she adds, wincing as she examines Newt's injured ribs. She quickly produces her healing wand and gives her fellow nature enthusiast a tap.
"There, much better! Do you think you're ready to move on?"
Stumbling into the vault, you are greeted by a maze of shifting tunnels and restrictive passages. A strong breeze whistles through the tunnels, helping you find your way toward the center.
To find your way to the middle, I need Survival or Knowledge(Dungeoneering) checks. Because of the narrow hallways and tight corridors, only three of you may attempt them at a time. For your reference, here are the Associated rolls for each of you!
Newt: Survival +8
Liora: Survival +5
Atronia: K(Dungeoneering) +2
Trixalana: Survival -1
Jyrrar: Survival +3
Volyana: Survival +4
As you make your way through the windy tunnels, they seem to reshape around you, causing narrow gaps and sudden changes in elevation. Between the scrapes and bruising, it's relatively harmless. But everyone is a little banged up from the changes.
You feel like you are winding in toward the center vault, but it seems to still be a ways off.