Hamar once again holds as his blade can do nothing against the creature.
Hamar once again holds as his blade can do nothing against the creature.
Hamar hacks indiscriminately at the negatively energized mass.
1 - Vorpal - Damage
2 - Invigorating - Damage
3 - Vorpal - Damage
4 - Invigorating - Damage
The darkened mass screams and dissolves into ectoplasmic tatters as Hamar strikes through. The room falls silent
Justin looks at the tiny, bright star of magic in his hand, and at the discorporating creature, then at Arnav, then at Hamar's blades, still trailing wisps of negative-energy. The wizard slowly lowers his tiny glow of magic behind his back, and turns to Ekuur.
"Um. Remind me not to make them angry, will you?" Justin asks brightly.
Arnav will rub his chest for a moment. "I suppose that proves I still have some life energy left. because they seem to have taken some of my vitality." He'll turn to Ekkur, [/]" I can still go on, but if you can rekindle my fires at some point, I would be very happy."[/b]
Hamar sheathes his blades, "I believe that we will have to kill everything here twice which would be enjoyable if they were not so hard to kill the second time..."
He begins to search the room.
Perception
Hamar sheathes his blades, "I believe that we will have to kill everything here twice which would be enjoyable if they were not so hard to kill the second time..."
He begins to search the room.
Perception 1d20+17
"That's the way to look at the bright side!" Justin says cheerfully. Then he gets his thoughtful face on again.
"Obviously it's the energy of the plane causing these,... Secondary Incorporeal Manifestations. If only there were some way to cut them off from the Plane's negative energy field. Like we're protected by the ioun stones. But we'd have to get them to WEAR the blasted ioun stones, and I don't think they'll be that cooperative." Justin blows a raspberry in exasperation as Hamar prowls the room.
"Argh! If only we had a Holy Relic! Oooo! And a lab! Ekuur could Bless the relic til it was an oven, I could enchant it, and then it would be like carrying around our own Holy Ground! The ghouls and such wouldn't stand a chance! Ah well. Might as well ask for a pet unicorn while I'm at it. Skyy would LOVE that!" Justin grumbles dourly.
Justin gets a confused look on his face. Then he looks at the bulging packs carried by several persons in the group. He looks back the way they came. He points over his shoulder.
"Um,... that WAS a lab back in the other room, right? I mean,... we DID just loot a secret burial chamber in a temple, and we have access to a fully stocked lab,..." He grins like a kid in a candy store.
Then Justin looks around. he sees various looks being given him from the others, from humoring, to confused, to weary frowns.
Justin sighs. "I'm the only one exited about this, aren't I?"
"It's not a nice lab. Also your plan is still missing any holy relics, unless we have one I am unaware of? Also I think that it would take more time than we are prepared to spend in this place. It is not what you would call comfortable here," she said quietly with an apologetic shrug.
Arnav will rub his chest for a moment. "I suppose that proves I still have some life energy left. because they seem to have taken some of my vitality." He'll turn to Ekkur, [/]" I can still go on, but if you can rekindle my fires at some point, I would be very happy."[/b]
"Of course. If Justin would be so kind as to hand me some of the ground diamonds ..." Ekuur will take a use of the powdered diamonds, lay his hand upon Arnav, and say a long refrain in praise of the Sacred Flame. As he does so, Arnav feels searing heat course through him, although it gives no actual pain. Once Ekuur finishes, Arnav finds all of his vitality restored to him.
"I suppose I should have prayed for another of those, as that is all I have today."
"Thank you." he says as he feels the warmth spread through him.
"It's not a nice lab. Also your plan is still missing any holy relics, unless we have one I am unaware of? Also I think that it would take more time than we are prepared to spend in this place. It is not what you would call comfortable here," she said quietly with an apologetic shrug.
"Yeahhh,... Good point Nari. Even if we had everything that we needed, it would take several days to construct such an item. At least. And that's AFTER I figure out exactly how to do it." Justin admits, his shoulders slumping a little in disappointment.
"Still. It IS a good idea! I'll add it to the list!" Justin makes a note in his battered notebook. Nari can peek at it as she is standing right next to him. She notices what appears to be a double column of items listed in a neat, tight script. The list takes up two pages. Justin snaps the battered leather notebook shut. Then he hands Ekuur the requested dose of powdered diamond dust.
Hamar sheathes his blades, "I believe that we will have to kill everything here twice which would be enjoyable if they were not so hard to kill the second time..."
He begins to search the room.
Perception 1d20+17
Hamar spots another of those disquieting silver bowls filled with ... things ... on the table. The ghouls are not as well-accoutered as their cousins had been. Their armor is shabby and rusted, their weapons as well. They have a combined 500 GP in miscellaneous coin in their pockets. One has a ring with a large chunk of smoky grey quartz as its stone.
After he piles the coinage atop the table Hamar brings the ring to the Wizard, "Magic?"
"Where?!"
Justin looks up surprised, sees the ring Hamar is all but holding under his nose and understanding dawns.
"Ah. Of course. Just a moment." Justin takes the ring and speaks his simple detection charm over it with his eyes closed. Then he opens his eyes, which now glow a faint blue, and stares at the ring unblinking for a few moments,...
The ring seems to be some sort of invisibility stone, but..different. It seems to be able to have the wearer fade into the shadows, and confers darkvision
At the explanation, Arnav will shake his head and pass. "I can already see in the dark. Plus, I'm so good at being the big guy that everybody gangs up on. It should definitely so to somebody who can use it better."
"One of the humans can take it I think. They're one of the few races not sensible enough to learn how to see in the dark."
"Perhaps our scour could use it best?" Ekuur says, looking at Hamar.
"One of the humans can take it I think. They're one of the few races not sensible enough to learn how to see in the dark."
"Yeah,... But we make up for that with our Sparkling Personalities!" Justin grins broadly.
"Perhaps our scour could use it best?" Ekuur says, looking at Hamar.
Justin raises an eyebrow.
"How about it Hamar? Wanna try the title of 'Hamar the Shadow-scout' on for size? It should make sneaking up on people even easier for you than it is now." Justin asks, holding out the ring.
As Karen comments on the vision of those who aren't human Blayze nods. Cathing Justin's eye she shrugs. "Angelblooded."
Justin nods at Blayze. "Useful." He agrees.
Justin's eyebrow raises, and he glances between Blayze and Karrin.
"Matched bookends." He murmurs to Memnon.
The gem in the ring seems to have a swirling bit of shadow within it.
Perception DC 25:
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Justin nods at Blayze. "Useful." He agrees.
Justin's eyebrow raises, and he glances between Blayze and Karrin.
"Matched bookends." He murmurs to Memnon.
Memnon chuckles
"I'd love to be the Outlands in that planar scenario"
"So, shall we move on?" he says. Arnav tends not to be the a subtle type of guy. It's clear he's both talking about the group moving on as well as leaving the conversation before it truly goes off the rails.
There are five other passageways to try besides the one they entered from
"That way," Karrin says Pointing at a passage.
The party heads into the corridor Karrin indicates
They step into a sinister and bizarre sort of temple. The walls swirl with unsettling carvings which seem to depict fiends and undead locked in impossible embraces. Shelves along the wall hold a variety of skulls, all arraigned neatly. At one end of the long room is a huge black iron bell. At the other is a massive statue of a ram-horned demon, made of black marble veined with green.
Justin pulls the ring closer, and squints at the stone.
"Huh. The shadow in the stone seems to be swirling. And, is that a spider in there?" he asks aloud, then holds the ring out for Memnon to peer at.
"I think there may be more to this ring than just being stealthy." He adds, holding it out to Hamar once more.
"So, shall we move on?" he says. Arnav tends not to be the a subtle type of guy. It's clear he's both talking about the group moving on as well as leaving the conversation before it truly goes off the rails.
Justin and Memnon look at each other, and both tilt their heads at almost the exact same angle in a mutual shrug of acceptance. (You still get the impression that Memnon's lipless mouth is silently laughing.)
"THAT way it is!" Justin agrees with Karrin, marking off a note on his parchment map as Hamar enters the portal.
The party heads into the corridor Karrin indicates
They step into a sinister and bizarre sort of temple. The walls swirl with unsettling carvings which seem to depict fiends and undead locked in impossible embraces. Shelves along the wall hold a variety of skulls, all arraigned neatly. At one end of the long room is a huge black iron bell. At the other is a massive statue of a ram-horned demon, made of black marble veined with green.
Justin steps out of the portal on his turn and looks around.
The wizard has the decency to look, unsettled, by the strange carvings on the wall. But he hides it well. He points to a row of neatly arranged skulls staring down at the group entering the chamber."Friends of yours?" He asks Memnon quietly.
Justin looks at one end of the room, with the huge black iron bell, and at the other end, with the black marble statue of the ram-headed demon. The green veins in the rock give it a particularly sickening appearance.
"OK. Just so we're all on the same parchment here. NOBODY touch the iron bell! I have a feeling it would be a very, bad, idea." Justin says, holding up a finger on each hand for emphasis.
"Heh. If you hadn't noticed, smart guy, I'm made out of Dwarvenite*. I have about as much in common with the skulls there as you do with Mr rams horn over there."
*
Arnav keeps his blade held toward the statue. while he hasn't been adventuring long, he's heard enough stories to never trust a statue. "Are there any magic auras?"
"Dunno let me check."
Merle doing a couple of castings of detect magiic
Hamar frowns at the ring but places it on his finger and hopes it does not fall off.
He stares at the carvings having never seen anything so grotesque in all his life. Soon enough his attention comes to rest on the statue. Hamar stands next to the Catfolk as she casts her spell, "Do you believe that statue is magical Merle, I have seen these things come to life before in many ways they are more difficult to kill than the dead..."
Merle finds the iron bell is magical, and there is a small golden circlet arounbd one of the ram horns of the black statue that also glows magic
When Hamar puts the ring on, it resizes itself to his finger, fitting snugly. He is suddenly able to see much farther than he was before.
Hamar:
"Okay one bell and that circlet thing over there." Merle pointing them out
"Oh a bell, a bit like a button I suppose, you can't unpress a big red button and you can't unring a bell . . . even though they are so tempting . . ." Karrin says staring at the bell, "I mean I'm not going to ring it, probably not, probably all sorts of bad things will happen, but it's so tempting isn't it?"
Justin pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs wearily.
"OK,... so WHAT part of 'NOBODY touch the iron bell! I have a feeling it would be a very, bad, idea' was I not clear about?!?" He asks with the same resigned tone of expectation of one being led to his execution.
** spoiler omitted **
Hamar:
Hamar pulls the ring back off scowling, "Useful as the magic may be something is wrong with this ring..."
Justin pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs wearily.
"OK,... so WHAT part of 'NOBODY touch the iron bell! I have a feeling it would be a very, bad, idea' was I not clear about?!?" He asks with the same resigned tone of expectation of one being led to his execution.
"I mean look at it there, all big and silent, though I think we can all imagine it saying "ring me Karrin, ring me" but I'm too cleaver to fall for that Mr Bell. You're going to have to bring your A game if you're going to trick this tiefling."