The room is quiet save for the dripping of ghoul ooze off the table
"Well, let's give the room a look over," Karrin say, rubbing her hands together, "Big monsters equals big treasure. That's just basic adventurer math. I mean it's practically science and stuff."
Justin shrugs, weakly, but he's hiding a grin.
"Well, You can't argue with science. And stuff."
The wizard walks around the room. Slowly. He seems more weak than in pain.
Arnav will help in the search.
Justin glances at Memnon, still floating nearby, and then at the stoic Ekuur. (Who could probably have taken the same hit and laughed it off. Figures.) He sighs softly. "We're gonna need more diamond dust real soon at this rate." He grumbles.
"Agreed. Do we have enough for your ... friend ... to mix up another of his potions to help you?"
Hamar too searches the room without comment.
Perception
Justin glances at Memnon, still floating nearby, and then at the stoic Ekuur. (Who could probably have taken the same hit and laughed it off. Figures.) He sighs softly. "We're gonna need more diamond dust real soon at this rate." He grumbles."Agreed. Do we have enough for your ... friend ... to mix up another of his potions to help you?"
Justin nods, still scanning the room for anything of interest.
"Yes. But we don't have enough to keep getting hit by these, Necro-clouds. And like Blayze's gun, the potions take time. At this rate we'll all be weak as children long before we find the center of this blasted place!" Justin grumbles.
"If only necromantic energy were one of the primary elements. THOSE I have spells for! Hey, don't priests have access to a Death Ward prayer or something? I was with a cleric once who cast a spell very similar to a Protection from Elements enchantment. But it worked against necromantic energy. I don't suppose the Sacred Flame can grant you a couple of those?" Justin says hopefully.
"I do. I have even prepared two of them this day. The problem is that they do not last long, and it is difficult to predict who may be the one to be struck."
"Sigh. Yeah, my mother said I should have taken up Divination."
"Buck up Justin," Karrin says, "You were squishy before this fight, now you're even squishier, it's not like you used to be tough, it's not like it hit Ekuur or me. You're still good at what you do. Now I'd give you a friendly reassuring slap on the back but in your current state I'm worried I might break your spine or something. So let's pretend I gave you a friendly reassuring slap on the back and we'll get back to the business of kicking butt and taking names.
"Hmm, speaking of names, have we figured out who this dead god's name is yet? That's a name we got to figure out. Let's get back to sorting this out."
While the others discuss, Blayze sits off to the side working diligently on repairing her gun.
Justin shakes his head, yet once again bemused by Karrin's extraordinary ability to give backhanded compliments, statements of fact that would be an insult from anyone else, and remind everyone to stay on the current task all in one breath.
"Yes Ma'am." Justin murmurs with a wan smile as he turns back to searching the room.
Merle perception
Seph perception
Seems the pair are more interested in listening to the banter than really searching the place.
The room is fairly bare, but there are small piles of trash scattered about. Upon closer examination they seem to be the tattered remains of some previous visitors. Rusted bits of arms and armor are scattered about, interspersed with bone fragments. There is a dagger in one pile that seems suspiciously intact, its edge still keen and rust free. A small handful of gems and coins can be gleaned from the detritus, to the tune of 1,000 GP. A scroll tube and several potion tiles are also hidden among the wreckage.
After participating in the requisite rounds of 'Identify that Magical Object!' Justin leans back with a smirk.
"When Karrin is right, she's VERY right! At least SOMEone entered this little dimensional temple-fortress somewhat prepared." Justin waggles the vial of Restoration for emphasis.
He also focuses his magical detection gaze upon the dagger, seeing if he can divine it's properties.
Justin
....AXIS MUNDI. This throwing dagger was cast of Celestium from the heights of the Seventh Heaven by Savariel the Bold, one of the greatest angelic warriors of the First Host. The pommel is a pearl from the Silver Sea of Lunia. Savariel forged this throwing dagger to thwart those foes who used dimensional travel to escape justice. It has a holy aura about it, and is said to be able to pierce even an insubstantial ghost with its keen blade. Savariel was destroyed during the Abyssal Wars that preceded the current Blood War. AXIS MUNDI has occasionally been seen carried by several heroes, but all sign of it has vanished for more than ten thousand cycles ....
Hamar grunts satisfied with what he has found with a search of the room, after his experience with the ring though, he's not going to touch anything until it has been thoroughly investigated in a safer place than the one they are in right now.
Justin gives a long, slow, whistle. He is wide-eyed. He stares at the dagger in his hand.
"Um, I'm gonna need that Restoration potion now. (Even if I didn't already need it!) Mind, fireballed!" He makes an explodey gesture with his free hand next to his head.
"DO you have ANY idea what this is?!?!? No, of course not, or you'd be excited too." Justin blurts, his words almost blurring together in their haste to escape.
The wizard takes a breath. Then he grins like an idiot schoolboy and bounces in excitement, then calms himself again. (This happens a couple of times before he can trust himself to actually speak again.)
"According to a book I thumbed through once, 'Weapons of Legend', THIS is,... the AXIS MUNDI." Justin proudly points to the words 'Axis Mundi' engraved on the fine weapon's hilt with an idiot savant's grin on his face.
"This throwing dagger was, purportedly, cast of Celestium from the heights of the Seventh Heaven by Savariel the Bold, one of the greatest angelic warriors of the First Host. The pommel is, supposedly, a pearl from the Silver Sea of Lunia. Savariel forged this throwing dagger to thwart those foes who used dimensional travel to escape justice. It has a holy aura about it, and is said to be able to pierce even an insubstantial ghost with its keen blade. Savariel was destroyed during the Abyssal Wars that preceded the current Blood War. AXIS MUNDI has occasionally been seen carried by several heroes, but all sign of it has vanished for more than ten thousand cycles. That's about 1,000 years!" Justin declares excitedly.
The wizard looks from person to person, looking for a glimmer of recognition. Or at least excitement. He bounces again.
"Well, NOW we know what happened to it! ,... And how long it's been since the last group of adventurers got this far in this Powers-Forsaken place." Justin adds as an afterthought.
"This is an amazing find! I don't mean just historically. This really is an amazing weapon. And quite possibly now the most potent weapon we have against those bloody demon-ghosts. Um, No offense Ferisson."
:D
Nari couldn't help but smile at Justin's enthusiasm. "That's wonderful! So I guess the only question is who is going to wield this amazing weapon. Perhaps if Blayze is currently without a functioning weapon she would be the best choice for now?"
"Wait, what do you mean by "When Karrin's right", I'm always right!"
Hamar shrugs, flipping his scimitars in his hands as a show of his interest in wielding this new weapon.
"DO you have ANY idea what this is?!?!? No, of course not, or you'd be excited too." Justin blurts, his words almost blurring together in their haste to escape.
The wizard takes a breath. Then he grins like an idiot schoolboy and bounces in excitement, then calms himself again. (This happens a couple of times before he can trust himself to actually speak again.)
"According to a book I thumbed through once, 'Weapons of Legend', THIS is,... the AXIS MUNDI." Justin proudly points to the words 'Axis Mundi' engraved on the fine weapon's hilt with an idiot savant's grin on his face.
"This throwing dagger was, purportedly, cast of Celestium from the heights of the Seventh Heaven by Savariel the Bold, one of the greatest angelic warriors of the First Host. The pommel is, supposedly, a pearl from the Silver Sea of Lunia. Savariel forged this throwing dagger to thwart those foes who used dimensional travel to escape justice. It has a holy aura about it, and is said to be able to pierce even an insubstantial ghost with its keen blade. Savariel was destroyed during the Abyssal Wars that preceded the current Blood War. AXIS MUNDI has occasionally been seen carried by several heroes, but all sign of it has vanished for more than ten thousand cycles. That's about 1,000 years!" Justin declares excitedly.
The wizard looks from person to person, looking for a glimmer of recognition. Or at least excitement. He bounces again.
"Well, NOW we know what happened to it! ,... And how long it's been since the last group of adventurers got this far in this Powers-Forsaken place." Justin adds as an afterthought.
"This is an amazing find! I don't mean just historically. This really is an amazing weapon. And quite possibly now the most potent weapon we have against those bloody demon-ghosts. Um, No offense Ferisson
"So real fancy dagger thats worth a fair bit?" Merle kinda deadpan
Seph by comparison seems almost excited as Justin rushing over to admire the weapon as well.
Arnav nods. "It will likely be useful here." He looks at the hilt of the dagger and at his hands, "It's a bit small for me. I don't think more than the tip would come out of my hand."
four junctures lead out of the room besides the one that you came in from
"That way," Karrin says pointing at one of the doors.
Hamar takes the lead once more.
Stealth
Perception
"Any port in a storm. At least that's what I'm told." Justin says, making another mark on his map-ish drawing of their explorations.
Nari follows along silently, her sense of unease growing with each horror they encounter. After all, it's not paranoia when everything is out to get you.
"Exploring is fun!"
Hamar enters the next sphere, appearing in the corner by the pulsating portal he just leaped through. This room is frescoed in a melange of funerary/demonic topics. There are a few blank areas, as the group had seen in Ranais.
In the center of the room is a glass sarcophagus, standing vertically. Inside is a corpse. The corpse seems to be female in gender, but it is hard to tell exactly. The corpse's throat has been dissected, and the flaps of skin are held open by thin golden wires attached to an elaborate gorget/torc that lies at the base of her neck. Her skin is a pallid blue-green, but there is no signs of rot. elaborate designs are picked out on her face in small implanted multi-colored spiky crystals, reaching back along her clean-shaven skull and vanishing below the red leather clothing the rest of her body is concealed under. Her veritcally-dissected throat flap also contains more of the crystals, arranged in a mockery of fangs lining the interior slit.
She clutches a large ebon-shafted scythe in her hands, held crosswise to her body. The sarcophagus is filled with a translucent sparkling mist.
Surrounding the crystal coffin are three large brass tripods with large bowls atop them. The bowls are filled with what look to be human bones and skulls. As Hamar enters the three tripod light with a bluish flame, shooting up a meter and engulfing the bones.
Justin drinks the potion, grimaces at the post-expiration date flavor, Then smiles as the effects kick in.
"Oh yeah. That feels MUCH better!" He says, getting in line with the others to take his turn at the portal.
===
Justin strides out of the portal, actually managing not to trip or stumble this time.
"Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of these thingsoooooookayyyyy,.... um, were those things lit when you got here Hamar?"
Justin's eyes are drawn to the glass sarcophagus.
Justin:
"Well, this isn't ominous."
Arnav steps up and prepares himself to strike should the thing come out.
As the group assembles, something strange begins to occur. The piles of bones begin to whirl within the flames, forming miniature tornadoes of horror. These three flaming bone tornadoes whirl off their tripods and advance on the party, a fiery roar preceding them
"Oh no," Karrin shouts, "If only we had some large metal musical instrument to take cover under!"
"Well, this isn't ominous."
Arnav steps up and prepares himself to strike should the thing come out.
"No. It's a Cenobite." Justin explains.
"It's, An undead creature that revels in causing pain as a way of exploring the outer limits of sensation. Often when a victim has been tortured long enough they become a cenobite themselves. They are not usually Abyssal in origin. Rather, they are from the Grey Wastes. They often serve as special mercenaries and prison guards for either side of the Blood War." Justin explains in his lecture-hall voice.
"I suppose we should leave this one IN it's container, this time? Shouldn't we?" Justin asks wryly.
As the group assembles, something strange begins to occur. The piles of bones begin to whirl within the flames, forming miniature tornadoes of horror. These three flaming bone tornadoes whirl off their tripods and advance on the party, a fiery roar preceding them
"Ok. THAT'S Ominous! And dangerous!"
"Oh no," Karrin shouts, "If only we had some large metal musical instrument to take cover under!"
",... BEAT you with that bell,..." Justin mutters as his hands glow with arcane energies.
Hamar opens his mouth to reply to the Wizard when the bones spring to life!
Blades already drawn, he steps in front of the squishy izard this time.
Init
"............................ Okay who touched something?"
When Merle asks the question Hamar shrugs and retorts, "Karrin keeps thinking about touching things perhaps in this place, that's enough.."
Hamar: 20
Bone tornadoes: 20
Justin: 19
Blayze: 18
Naridre: 17
Arnav: 17
Merle: 14
Ekuur: 8
Karrin: 4
The three fiery forms advance on the party!