|
Kulga, Oret, and Bokkah's attacks all miss as these skeletons seem particularly hard to hit. The pony manages to connect with its right hoof, but not enough to dispose of the skeleton. Garduk's grease drops one skeleton , while the other manages to stay upright. It then attacks Oret, missing. The downed skeleton stands, opening itself to the pony's attack, <then attacks back>. While another moves forward and attacks the pony, sending the pony back to its own plane. The northern most skeleton continues its feeble attempts to hit Kulga.
Round 4 Effects: Bless
map
Kulga
Oret
Garduk
pony 16 dmg - gone
Bokkah
(4) Skeletons
Green 2 dmg
Surrounded by horrors and suffering from numerous grievous wounds, Piotr has been driven into a near frenzy. When the pony sees one of the nightmares fall, Piotr shrugs past the pain and fear and puts everything he has left into what may be his last attack before being sent back to his home plane. He rears back and slams his forehooves at the green skeleton.
"Naaaaaay!"
Piotr vanishes. His scream lingers in the air behind him as the skeletons, no longer distracted by the pony, turn their full attention on the party.
|
"Oret! Can you withdraw? Should we draw them into a space where we have more room?"
Garduk fires his crossbow at the yellow skeleton, over Kulga's head.
If he has a move action left, he retrieves his box of combat scrolls from his pack.
He then takes a 5-foot step to the south to make room for Kulga and Bokkah to step back if they wish to.
|
|
Piotr's final blow misses and Kulga's morningstar feels weird in her hands compared to her trusty axe, she just can't find the mark. Strategically retreating Oret joins the rest.
Garduk's crossbow barely misses and he retrieves his scrolls. While Bokkah starts to turn the tide with claw and bite that shatters the skeleton bones.
The skeletons begin to amble down the hall, the first arrives and attacks Kulga, but flails wildly over the dwarf's head. The next skeleton piles behind the first. The third moves onto the grease and goes down in a heap.
Round 5 Effects: Bless
map
Kulga
Oret
Garduk
Bokkah
(3) Skeletons
Green 2 dmg
|
|
After some early struggles Garduk calls for better organization and the team responds with superb teamwork. Kulga easily dispatches the first skeleton, Oret deftly moves up his morningstar finishes the second, and Bokkah slides past Oret and delivers a powerful claw to end the last one!
A thorough search of the chambers finds nothing in the lidless sarcophagi, other than the odd fact is there is no sign of lids at all. It seems these sarcophagi were designed to be open. You proceed to the final room to find, a fifteen-by-fifteen-foot room is constructed entirely of the same smooth-white material seen on the sphere outside. A single white pillar stretches floor-to-ceiling in the center of the room, and in a niche rests a smooth, white, hand-sized cube covered in glyphs and runes similar to those on the complex’s front door.
|
|
Well Garduk, if you've been taught anything about this, now's the time.
Garduk's ruined cheeks twitch in what might have been an abortive attempt at a smile.
"I haven't been taught anything about magic worth knowing."
He stares at the cube, circling it to see it from every angle.
"I had to learn it all myself."
Garduk tries to recall anything relevant he may heave read about similar cubes or symbols before moving to spells.
Garduk utters a quick incantation, and reads the runes that are visible to him - not for casting, if they make up a spell, but just to determine what they say.
"Before I try this last spell, should I remove the cube from its niche so we can see the whole thing? This spell only lasts a few seconds, and if I fail, I won't be able to try again until tomorrow - not that I have another scroll with the same spell on it."
|
|
Garduk has never seen anything just like this before, although he feels it might be a powerful magical item. He notices the runes are similar to the ones on the door to this place, but even with Read Magic the meaning of the ancient arcane words is unclear, although he feels it must have something to do with protective magic.
|
|
"Oret, any chance Abadar might give me some guidance?"
For once, the arcanist appears to come to a decision on his own. Without waiting for an answer from the others, he unfurls his scroll and quickly reads the more-familiar runes scribed on the parchment.
As soon as he is finished, he drops the used scroll to the floor and reaches for the cube. Bringing his face within inches of the ancient artifact, he lifts from its setting, ready to quickly place it back into the niche if its removal causes any obvious danger. If it doesn't, he straightens and examines it from every possible angle with the assistance of the spell.
|
|
With Oret's guidance, Garduk uses his scroll and studies the cube, it all seems to start making sense, but even with all the insight from divine and arcane sources he doesn't completely understand how it works...but what he does gather is that the cube is the controller of the statues and that they are actually powerful golems designed as the defenses for this ancient Azlanti site. How exactly to get the golems to move is still beyond Garduk's comprehension though. As he continues to study it the scroll wears off and it all seems more fuzzy than moments before.
|
|
So it IS a weapon. But unless I - unless WE - can figure out how it works, it might as well be a pretty rock. Just more evidence that my magic isn't strong enough. Not yet, anyway.
Garduk tells Bokkah, Kulga, and Oret what he was able to learn from his examination of the cube.
He nods in response to Bokkah's comment. "Right. The good news is that we found exactly what we were looking for. The bad news is that we don't have any idea how to use it. Should we take the cube back into the room with the golems and see if we can figure it out? If we can't, maybe we should risk bringing it outside to see if Juliet has anything to add?"
|
|
Garduk snarls and slams a hand against one of the armored statues, frustrated with his inability to understand the working of these ancient constructs. The metal rings from his blow, the sound echoing through the chamber.
"Let's see if Julia has any idea how to use this thing. Maybe she has not yet shown us everything they have found, and something else is needed in combination with the cube to start the golems moving."
He starts for the entrance, then stops suddenly and looks to Bokkah and Kulga . "I don't suppose one of you has the door key, do you?"
|
|
You exit to seek Juliet's advice, but as you emerge from the Azlanti complex, you step into chaos. All along the palisade wall, Pathfinders and Aspis are trying desperately to hold off the horde of ape-men outside the walls. Wave after wave of rocks, sticks, and even the camp’s own garbage are flying over the walls at regular intervals. Somewhere back in the jungle, a deafening roar echoes across the valley.
Just then a large rock smashes a hole in the palisade wall, and moments later a hoard of screeching, chattering ape-men plunge through it and flood the camp. In the distance, their horrible champion—a four-armed gorilla, twenty feet tall and causing the ground to shake with each step, intelligently scans his troops and roars at them, causing the ape-men to devolve into a frenzy.
The moment the monstrosity appears, the ivory sphere suddenly glows brightly, and Garduk collapses to the ground unconscious, the cube in his hands also glows brightly.
Garduk becomes aware he now controls one of the Azlanti Monoliths, knows exactly how the device works and is able to control it, experiencing all of the monolith’s senses, he is in full control of it!
Azlanti Monolith (CR 16)
Advanced Iron Golem
N Huge construct
Init –2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0
Defense
AC 31, touch 6, flat-footed 31 (–2 Dex, +25 natural, –2 size)
hp 155 (21d10+40)
Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +7
DR 15/adamantine; Immune construct traits, magic
Offense
Speed 20 ft.
Melee 2 cold iron slams +36 (4d12+27/19–20)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks breath weapon, cold iron, powerful blows
Statistics
Str 47, Dex 7, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Base Atk +18; CMB +34; CMD 43
Special Abilities:
Breath Weapon (Su): As a free action once every 1d4+1 rounds, an iron golem can exhale a 10-foot cube of poisonous gas. This gas cloud persists for 1 round; any creature within the area when the golem creates it (as well as any creature that passes through the cloud during the remainder of that round) is exposed to the cloud’s poisonous effects. This poison is magically created each time the golem uses this power.
Breath weapon—inhaled; save Fort 19; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d4 Constitution damage; cure 2 saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Cold Iron: This iron golem is constructed from cold iron, meaning its slam attacks count as cold iron weapons.
Immunity to Magic (Ex): An iron golem is immune to spells and spell-like abilities that allow spell resistance. Certain spells and effects function differently against it, as noted below.
• A magical attack that deals electricity damage slows an iron golem (as the slow spell) for 3 rounds, with no saving throw.
• A magical attack that deals fire damage breaks any slow effect affecting the golem, and heals 1 point of damage for every 3 points of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. The iron golem gets no saving throw against fire effects.
• An iron golem is affected normally by rust attacks, such as those of a rust monster or a rusting grasp spell.
Powerful Blows (Ex): An iron golem inflicts one and a half times its Strength modifier and threatens a critical hit on a 19–20 with its slam attacks.
As you approach from the back the giant four-armed gorilla loudly grows orders at his ape men, while chucking an enormous rock landing it with incredible accuracy right on one of the Aspis mercenaries, crushing the man who lets out a horrified scream.
Initiative
Round 1
Angazhani
Oret
Ape Men
Bokkah
Azlanti Monolith(Garduk)
Kulga
|
|
"We'll have to hold the fort! Garduk I assume you have the big one." Oret yells as he charges right at the Ape men. As he charges, he clinches tightly to his Morningstar, channeling the power of Adabar into it. However mistiming his charge, he is punished as he swings his Morningstar into empty space.
|
|
Oret rushes into the combat but the ape-man is more agile than he expected and he misses.
Ape-men all around are into shrieking in a frenzy. With surprising speed one ape-man unleashes a flurry of attacks with club and bite on Oret. One club blow hits but the other attacks are way too wild. While another rushes at Kulga and misses.
Round 1
map
Angazhani
Oret 4 dmg
Ape Men
Bokkah
Azlanti Monolith(Garduk)
Kulga
|
|
Trusting his friends to warn him if any of the apes get close to his real body, Garduk revels in the strength he feels thrumming through the iron body of the Azlanti golem.
This - THIS - is power! The folks at the Dark Archive are going to wet themselves when they hear about this! it will be hard to get excited the next time I summon a celestial pony.
Could I even do that now? I don't know if I can cast spells in this form. Perhaps it would have been better if Kulga had been holding the cube - she would make more effective use of it.
He turns the golem's head to look at the four-armed giant ape rampaging at the ruin of the camp wall, and clenches the monolith's massive hands into fists.
No matter. I will be useful enough. I can see the enemy, and I can hit it. Nothing more is required at the moment.
He strides forward, leaving the human-sized ape-men for his comrades to handle for the moment, and makes straight for the Angazhani. With two steps, the giant, four-armed ape is within the monolith's reach. Garduk brings up its arms and slams them into the creature.
Garduk's swings are clumsy - he is still getting used to controlling the giant metal body, and he is not much of a street brawler to begin with. But they feel solid enough to him.
By the gods, that is satisfying!
|
|
Kulga axe misses, but Bokkah lands all 3 blows damaging the ape-man badly.
Garduk pilots the Iron Golem into battle with the Gorilla monster. The golem strikes with a powerful blow, nailing the angazhani.
The huge gorilla steps in and unleashes on the golem with all four arms with razor sharp claws and a bite as well. But can only connect with the bite and one claw, and even those attacks have difficulty penetrating the thick armor of the golem.
Round 2
map
Angazhani 44 dmg
Oret 4 dmg
Ape-Men, red 13 dmg
Ape-Men, blue
Bokkah
Azlanti Monolith(Garduk) 16 dmg
Kulga
|
|
Oret's morningstar wacks the ape-man in the head as the negative energy washes over him. The beast fights on against Oret, stepping away from the Monolith before clubbing and biting at Oret, the club lands once. Another ape-man steps away from Kulga and attacks Bokkah, also landing a blow.
Round 2
map
Angazhani 44 dmg
Oret 10 dmg
Ape-Men, red 13 dmg
Ape-Men, blue 13 dmg
Bokkah 7 dmg
Azlanti Monolith(Garduk) 16 dmg
Kulga
|
|
Garduk is vaguely aware that the rest of the battle is moving away from him, but the between the novelty of controlling a giant, strong, metal body and the four-armed horror wearing what looks like a necklace of humanoid hands slicing at him with claws the size of longswords, the thought barely registers.
I need to end this quickly, before he gets any farther into the camp.
Garduk brings back both of the Azlanti monolith's arms and claps them together as hard as he can against the monstrous ape-thing's head.