Aliseya extends an nervous palm to Govannon, bumming a cigarette off him.
She nods in agreement with the next destination. Curiosity is in her multi-chromatic eyes as she stares, wide-eyed, at the strange tower, tilting her head to one side.
"I wonder what that rod is for..."
Govannon rolls a messy smoke and hands it to Aliseya. If she's ready now, he lights it with the spark cantrip and continues on, his unlit.
You exit the building traverse the exposed, winding, narrow pathway that climbs the bare rock face. Several hundred feet below you the raging river rapids roar.
The path ends at a small stairway that descends 10 feet to a recessed iron door. Above you, four interconnected towers loom.
Aleks comes dangerously close to slipping off the path, but manages to keep his footing.
"Thanks. My nerves are fried, ha," she says to Gov.
Ali maintains her footing well enough while puffing her crumbling cigarette. She tries her best not to get any ashes in anyone's face.
Govannon smiles at Aliseya as they walk, "I know what you mean. What a place!"
He also takes 10 if possible for a 15 total.
Once at the door, he waits for the others to close up. If Zelda wants to examine it, he waits patiently by. When everyone is ready, he tucks his smoke behind his ear for now and tries opening the tower door and advancing within, scimitar drawn and ready.
You are all able to cross the narrow path without falling.
Govannon finds that the iron tower door is rusted shut.
"Does anyone have any oil? I've a little brandy, which might help clear some of the rust, but oil would be better..." and Govannon likes his occasional brandy.
If none is forthcoming, he pours his brandy on the hinges, and whatever else seems most stuck, then puts his shoulder into it, trying to force the door open.
Water floods out from behind the door as Govannon pulls it open. Within you find a 20' wide hallway that goes both left and right. In front of you a stairwell goes up. The hallway is flooded with about 3' of water.
Ali looks sad as Govannon wastes his brandy on the door. She then happily remembers her second bottle of wine, and retrieves it from her large satchel.
"Oh!" she exclaims as the water soaks the party's legs. Sneaking a peek inside past Govannon, "I hope there aren't any carnivorous fish or, like, sea creatures, in here..."
Ali then passes around the bottle of wine before taking a generous sip of her own.
Ali sees nothing in the brackish water but debris.
Govannon observes the brackish water in silence. He takes s strong gulp of the wine as it's passed to him before passing it on again. "Thanks Aliseya. You're a wise woman."
He suggests, 'Let's head up. I don't want to slog through that if we can avoid it. Who knows what might lurk in that stuff."
If the group agrees, he climbs the stairs, scimitar out and ready.
The stairwell rises up above the water and leads to a short hallway that branches to two doorways on the left and right .
Govannon will head to the right unless others want to go another way. He'll wait for Zelda to check the door before opening it if she wants to.
Aleks follows the others quietly. Still scanning the area with his sixth sense.
Govannon will open the door and step in, scimitar at the ready.
Zelda finds no traps.
Govannon opens the door to reveal a circular chamber empty save for dark water 30' below where your at. A pair of double doors open into the room on the southern wall at water level - below you. A single door is across from Govannon on the northern wall. The shattered remains of an iron catwalk that once connected the western and northern doors dangles precariously from the wall.
Govannon looks into the room, "I could fly over to the other side, maybe rig up some ropes or something for the rest of you to cross. Why don't we check the other side of the fortress first though. Maybe we can find another way around."
If the group agrees, Govannon will cross back to the other door and, after Zelda's had a chance to check if she wants, he'll open it and see what lies beyond.
Govannon opens the door to reveal a room similar to the previous room. A rotting stench comes from a trio of headless, apelike creatures inside heavy iron cages. The waters lap against these corpses, while the twisted remnants of an iron walkway lie half-submerged in the water. As with the previous room, double doors enter the room from the south wall 30' below you. There is also a door across from you on the north wall - the catwalk is again missing.
Aleks scans the corpses with his sixth sense.
Weapon Equipped = Scimitar
Conditions = Arcane (+2 scimitar 8/10r)
scimitar: Attack: BAB +5, Str +4, Magic +1, Weapon Focus +1, Power Attack -2 Damage: Str +4, Magic +1, Power Attack +4
longbow (19 cold iron): Attack: BAB +5, Dex +1 Damage: Str +4
wand of cure light wounds (16/50)
Arcane Pool (su/swift): (3/6)
Fly Hex (su/std): (3/7m)
Healing Hex (2d8+7): Govannon, Zelda
Spells (Caster Level 7, Concentration +10 (+4 defensively))
At Will (self only): Feather Fall; Once a Day: Levitate
Zero (13): Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Spark
First (14): Color Spray, Shield,
Second (15):
Third (16):
"Right."
Govannon gathers some rope, and flies across to the door. Is there anything, other than the door, he can tie off to? If not, he'll open the door and see if he can tie off beyond it - or retreat quickly if there's trouble.
Aleksander detects no evil from corpses, but he does detect evil radiating from the darkness above him.
Govannon opens the door to find a hallway that heads east. He sees another door across the hall. To the west there is a small alcove with shelving. There are four vials on the shelves.
Govannon will secure the rope, and help people across while his flight remains. Once everyone is safely past the water, he'll cast Detect Magic and examine the four vials.
Once the vials have been ID'd and stowed, he'll head down the hallway to the east, scimitar out and ready.
Govannon identifies two of the potions as a potion of displacement and a potion of gaseous form. The two remaining vials of reddish liquid are not magical.
Govannon finds that the hall extends 50' to the east and ends in a door. There are also two additional doors on the north and south walls.
Aleks pauses at the corpses. "This is strange." he says, looking up. "There's something evil above us. On a higher floor maybe? I can't see anything."
"Gross," Aliseya creatively remarks as the scent of putrid ape remains enters her nostrils. She pinches her nose and makes a frowny face.
"Oh-my-stars," she remarks and she immediately looks up after Aleks mentions the evil above.
Aleksander and Ali see bat like creatures perched upside down from the room's ceiling.
"That's dried basilisk blood, sure enough. Ugh." He explains what the other two potions are and offers them up to the group. "Who wants 'em?"
He waits to see what the others say about the ceiling.
"Wait! There's something up there. What are those, bats?"
Ali half-frowns at the basilisk blood. Eyeballing the other two potions, "If noone else wants it, gassy form sounds... interesting. What does it do, like, turn you into a spirit for a time?"
"Bats!" she loudly whispers to Zelda and her nearby friends.
The disgust upon her face, at the thought of standing beneath filthy bats, then turns to fear as her imagination begins to get the better of her. "With our luck, one of them's a vampire..."
And with that thought, her imagination stirs up more disgust and fear in her mind. For she now ponders those bottles of wine she had happily drunken, and what kind of "wine" would a vampire prefer...
With a screech the bat like creatures descend toward you. As they enter the light, you see that they are bat-winged gorilla heads that each trail dangling entrails.
Round: 1, Initiative: 11
Weapon Equipped = Scimitar
Conditions = None
scimitar: Attack: BAB +5, Str +4, Magic +1, Weapon Focus +1, Power Attack -2 Damage: Str +4, Magic +1, Power Attack +4
longbow (19 cold iron): Attack: BAB +5, Dex +1 Damage: Str +4
wand of cure light wounds (16/50)
Arcane Pool (su/swift): (3/6)
Fly Hex (su/std): (3/7m)
Healing Hex (2d8+7): Govannon, Zelda
Spells (Caster Level 7, Concentration +10 (+4 defensively))
At Will (self only): Feather Fall; Once a Day: Levitate
Zero (13): Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Spark
First (14): Color Spray, Shield,
Second (15):
Third (16):
Govannon recoils in horror, putting his scimitar up in defense as the creatures descend upon the party.
Aleks freezes in bewildered disgust as the creatures move into the light.
"Ew! Oh!" Ali frets in horror as the revolting gorilla-bats approach.
Zelda fires on one of the beasts and manages to wing it.
The creatures circle high over you and begin shrieking
Round: 1, Initiative: 11
Weapon Equipped = Scimitar
Conditions = Flying (1/10r)
scimitar: Attack: BAB +5, Str +4, Magic +1, Weapon Focus +1, Power Attack -2 Damage: Str +4, Magic +1, Power Attack +4
longbow (19 cold iron): Attack: BAB +5, Dex +1 Damage: Str +4
wand of cure light wounds (16/50)
Arcane Pool (su/swift): (3/6)
Fly Hex (su/std): (2/7m)
Healing Hex (2d8+7): Govannon, Zelda
Spells (Caster Level 7, Concentration +10 (+4 defensively))
At Will (self only): Feather Fall; Once a Day: Levitate
Zero (13): Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation, Ray of Frost, Spark
First (14): Color Spray, Shield,
Second (15):
Third (16):
vs DC 12 or be paralyzed 4 rounds
Govannon instinctively puts his hands to his ears and tries to drowned out the sound - very nearly taking his head off with the scimitar in his right hand. He recovers quickly and activates his fly hex, flying up among the creatures (5’ flap away or so from the mass).
Aleks shakes off the screeching with little trouble. Pointing up toward one of the bats, Aleks activates the new ring they found recently.
The grossness of the horrific shriekers makes Ali's eyes glaze over, then turn red. Wicked Ali's eyes track the creatures above then, on finding a suitable prey, speaks in the goosebump-compelling speech of nightmares.
Zelda finds herself paralyzed by the creature's hideous cry.
Govannon flies up to engage the undead beasts.
Aleksander activates his ring and a ram shaped force projection smashes into one of the bat winged heads.
Aliseya issues a murderous command, but the undead creatures resist.
Two of the creatures converge on Govannon - one of the undead creatures is able to lock its jaws on Govannon
A third creature descends to Zelda and begins kissing the helpless rogue .