Justin stares at the soft pastel glow and draws a blank. He hmms and strokes his chin thoughtfully while desperately trying to figure out something to say about it when the crystal creep pipes up
“Fascinating! I haven’t seen anything like this since my days in Ranaïs. Necro-augmented chaositech. This mummy was a higher roller than I thought!”
Hamar stares at Memnon, "Speak in Common man! What is this mystic force and how do we remove it? I'd like to slay this thing a second time so we can get to slaying the thing we originally intended to slay, which is supposed to be dead so I hope the rest of you have a plan to kill that which is already dead... again. Then after all that work we'll need to feed Karrin Kind as she'll no doubt be starved."
Justin looks at Memnon. He blinks.
"Yes,... exactly. Sounds terrifying."
"BUT the important question is, will a concentrated Dispel remove the death-field? Hopefully permanently, But I'd accept temporarily."
Hamar stares at Memnon, "Speak in Common man! What is this mystic force and how do we remove it? I'd like to slay this thing a second time so we can get to slaying the thing we originally intended to slay, which is supposed to be dead so I hope the rest of you have a plan to kill that which is already dead... again. Then after all that work we'll need to feed Karrin Kind as she'll no doubt be starved."
"Which is ALSO terrifying. But at least we know how to deal with a Hangry Karrin." Justin murmurs.
Memnon huffs
“Philistines. “
He swivels to look at Hamar and Justin
“A Dispel Magic will suppress the field for a bit. But it will snap back”
Justin Nods.
"Alright. Whose the fastest runner? Who ever is going in will only have a little time before the field resets. They need to get in, grab the Phylactery, and get out. "
"OR, get in and find it, and we'll dispel it again for them to get out. Either way. Don't dally."
The wizard pulls back the sleeves of his coat.
"Let's do this."
He speaks in a flowing language that is probably elvish,...
"Delay, Decline, Disrupt, DISPEL MAGIC"
The pale glow sputters and disappears
Justin grins, then looks at the others.
"Well, Don't just stand there! The Hourglass sand is running! Normally I'd be the first into a cool, magic-warded obelisk. But I suspect this Mummy is dangerous, and clever, enough to set up anti-magic traps for those who can get past the door. I'll stay out here in case another Dispel is needed."
The wizard makes very small, but clear, 'hurry up' motions with his hands.
Justin peers into the entryway as best he can from the outside:
Hanar, blades already drawn, hops on in.
Alessia follows closely behind Hamar, her eyes scanning the chamber for things to smash.
When the two enter they discover that they pretty much fill the room. the rest of the space is filled with odd machinery made of bizarre, almost organic shapes. Crystals of various hues stud the odd surface, glowing enough to illuminate the room. In one corner a chair sits. Atop it, a helmet dangles from a cord that looks disturbingly like a human spine. Other spinal cords snake from the back of the chair into the machine banks.
"If I knew what the hell all of this was, I would probably be afraid, luckily I do not", the Barbarian states, trying to convince himself and his own superstitious heart and mind that this is normal.
It matters not, the Barbarian must do what he must do, fear or no fear. The Wizard said to get a Phallusactery, or some such, as if Hamar knew what such a thing was. Like it was a cup or a plate or a spoon.
The only thing that resembles anything that he is familiar with, is that helmet. So it is to that helmet that he goes, but he'll not touch such strange magics, no, he will do what his forefathers before him did, he will meet sorcery with steel (albeit enchanted steel).
Hamar full attacks that spine to sever it from the helmet!
Attack #1 - Scimitar +1 Keen, Planar – – 12-20x2
Attack #2 - Scimitar +3 Vorpal - – – 15-20x2
Attack #3 - Scimitar +1 Keen, Planar – – 12-20x2 -
Attack #4 - Scimitar +3 Vorpal - – 15-20x2
Attack #5 - Scimitar +1 Keen, Planar – – 12-20x2
Justin visibly grimaces as Hamar starts smashing with apparent glee.
"I meant maybe someone whose second, or even third response to things is to smash them?!?" The wizard mutters.
Hamar’s whirling blades slice through the organo-metallic spinal cord. The helmet flies through the air spinning until it clangs against a bank of machinery. A dark arcing bolt of energy leaps out from the severed cord, wrapping itself around Hamar’s sword!
Alessia suddenly feels a surge of energy as the black lightning plays about the room
Hamar Reflex Save DC 20 -
Hamar wisely casts his weapon aside and attempts to roll out of the path of the energy. He feels it draining the vitality from his mighty thews, making him tired and dizzy as if he had run all day without stopping for water
As Hamar sets about slicing the control chair to bits, Alessia turns her attention to the rest of the machinery, clearly still enraged by her encounter with the mummy lord.
The Barbarian shakes off the effects relatively well though the draining of his vitality is taxing.
He picks up his blade once more and retrieves the helmet. He looks towards the doorway to see if it is still open or if the trap has reset...
Justin taps one hand against his leg, keeping track of the passing seconds.
"Memnon, A Phylactery is basically anything with an interior space, that can be inscribed with magical Formulae, yes? There's no actual known requirement or limitation that it be a piece of jewelry, right? Could this pyramid, or at least this top-chamber, be the phylactery?? Heck the strange mechanisms could be a representation of otherworldly writing."
Justin knits his eyebrows, still tapping the time.
"OR,... It could be the helmet?"
Alessia sets to smashing up the machinery with a will. More arcs of black lightning come from the riven panels, but when they strike Alessia, they only heal her further
Hamar grabs the ebon ioun stone and whirls it around his head. He then starts to feel more enervation as the room fills with crackling black energy from Alessia’s ministrations
Even with the shielding effect of the magic pebble, Hamar can tell that this room will not be healthy for long term habitation. He scoops up the dented helmet and looks at the door. It seems as though whatever force was there has failed. Perhaps it was tied to the machines inside.
MEANWHILE ….
Outside, Justin poses his questions to Memnon. The skull looks as if he is about to wind up into a Big Damn Explanation when all of a sudden the sun starts blinking
Everyone outside looks up reflexively. The sun is a giant flaming eyeball. Not as searingly bright as the actual sun, but bright enough. A black vertical cat pupil sat within the orb, which slowly swiveled in the sky. Now though, it is blinking. The eye is there. Then not. Then there. Then not. The pace and duration of these blinks seems to be getting longer and the party can begin to hear confused animal sounds from the surrounding jungle
Justin looks up, shielding his eyes from the brightness of the sun/eyeball.
"Well. THAT can't be good."
"Oh, Yah think?!?! THENK YEW CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!" Comes Memnon's panicked and snarky reply.
The mage is not sure how the crystal skull manages to express so many different emotions simultaneously with such limited facial movement.
Justin Shrugs.
"Meh. SOMEone had to say it."
"Karrin? Everyone? I think we just went from 'Find a phylactery' to 'Find a way outta here!' The arrival portal was one-way. Start looking for the way back. Or at least a door to somewhere that's not here!"
"Doors? Okay, start looking for handles or knockers! Those are usually great indicators of doors."
The Scout keeps his boots activated for a second round.
He dives through the doorway to get the heel out of there.
As he completes his roll, landing next to Justin, he remarks, "I hope this is what we are looking for. If not, I shall let Alessia continue the search as she is having a better time there than I am". He takes a knee with a grimace on his face and hands the helmet to Justin and his weird little talking skull for inspection.
"Preaching to the choir Hamar," Karrin says, "That whirlwind almost put me off my lunch. I'm feeling better now of course, my appetite is returning, but getting spun around in that wind was not a fun experience, I do not recommend. 2/10. Would not come again."
Mel comes over to Hamar
“You look kinda roughed up there chief”
Mel lays a glowing hand on Hamar’s shoulder. He immediately feels much better
The Barnarian's complexion improves a bit and he stands, "My thanks Mel.
Tell me cleric, need we battle this mummy once more, is this his spirit attacking us?"
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Mel looks thoughtful
“I don’t think so. This doesn’t have that sort of … malevolence to it. Those lightning bolts are not good, but it’s more like elemental negativity. A sort of natural phenomenon “
He looks in on Alessia smashing up the room
“I mean, you did kinda go sticking your d!ck in the meat grinder there “
The sun eye winks out for about 30 seconds, then sputters back
Hamar grins, "I suppose I did".
He starts looking around for a "door" as Justin recommended, of course, he's not sure what he is looking for...
Justin thanks Hamar, and hefts up the helmet-thing to his own head level for inspection by himself and Memnon. Anyone watching notices he is still keeping time of passing seconds by tapping his finger on the helmet now.
The helmet looks to have been crafted from some unknown alloy of electrum - there seems to be several metals involved, but that isn’t really Justin’s wheelhouse. A gnomish artificer or dwarvish Godsman would have a fun time with this he thinks. He gets the impression that its function involved augury, possibly some sort of scrying device? The helm would enlarge the wearer’s sensorium somehow and allow them to experience a wider viewpoint. But where?
As Justin ponders the area goes dark again … .
Hamar doesn’t find a door, but there are stairs leading down the pyramid and he can see a paved road leading away through the jungle towards the distant river and the city the hugs its banks
"I don not see a door of any kind but there is a paved road leading away form the jungle.
Unless anyone else sees any other options, that's probably our only way to go. Barring exploring wild jungles..." Hamar shrugs in indifference as to which direction to take.
"Um,... Memnon? I'm not so sure this WAS the Phylactery. At least not THIS specific part?"
Justin holds up the helmet higher, "I THINK this is part of some kind of Arcane & mechanical scrying device? Maybe?"
Justin eyes the interior of the room, where many of its mechanical components now lie in shattered pieces on the floor.
Justin looks up in surprise as the sky goes dark again.
The wizard looks up, then to the small chamber, then up, then back,...
"ARGH! Decisions, decisions. I HATE timed tests!" He mutters.
"KARRIN! What's your call?!?" Justin calls out as he dashes to the doorway, and (after making VERY certain the death field is not back on) peers inside, looking once more for anything that may be a 'container', and qualify as a phylactery.
Justin does not let go of the helmet-thingy. It may or may not be the Phylactery. Or even part of it. But it is still a curious magical artifact.
Justin growls in frustration, then looks at the helmet again.
"I wonder,...???"
Justin quickly but calmly casts a simple spell on himself.
"Hey guys? Be sure and knock me out, quickly, if I start babbling about revenge or taking over the local Prime or anything, OK? Memnon, you've got healing potions ready, yeah? Good."
And without waiting for a response, or for someone to tell him what a really bad idea this probably is, Justin jams the helmet on his own head.
Justin feels odd. Kind of woozy. A shadow of … something lingers in this helm, but it is only a shadow now. It was powerful though. And not very nice. However, he suddenly gets a glimpse of the jungle from a Birds Eye view. He sees the top of the pyramid far below and suddenly he zooms closer until he sees the top of the dented helm on his head. Then the scene goes black. As does the sun/eyeball
Justin sways and reaches out blindly, grasping at something, or someone, to steady himself with. His searching hands find only the tassels of Memnon's orange knitted cap, (much to the Crystal skull's loud displeasure) the mage falls to one knee, taking the Mimir with him.
"I'm ok, I'm ok!" He mutters unconvincingly.
"I'M not! Lemme go!" Memnon pipes squeakily. Justin releases the tassels, and braces himself against the floor with one hand.
"Whatever was in here is mostly gone. Musta destroyed it when it was wrecked. Wait a sec,... I might have,... an idea,... something,..."
Justin takes a deep breath, steadying himself. And wait til the lights turn back on. Literally. When the sun/eye lights up again, he focuses his WILL on the helmet,...
'The Exit. Show me the exit!'
'The Exit. Show me the exit!'
The helmet stays stubbornly dark then sputters to life again. The feeling of Justin’s perspective widens again and he is looking out over the jungle, the river a silver thread within it
The helmet stays stubbornly dark then sputters to life again. The feeling of Justin’s perspective widens again and he is looking out over the jungle, the river a silver thread within it
Justin clutches the helmet on his head with both hands, and makes uncomfortable noises.
Even Memnon, ever-quick with the snarky quip, is silent.
The Mimir slowly and deliberately floats a few feet back, taking shelter behind Karrin's armored shoulder.
(and 'inadvertently' possibly peeking over her shoulder at her other armored parts,...)
Justin gets the feeling he is trying to use a complex magical artifact that has seen better days. He begins to try and bend it to his will and suddenly his god like point of view begins to spin like a top. Memnon is suddenly distracted from his incidental lechery by a flickering in the sunlight. He swivels upwards and speaks
“Well, that’s certainly interesting “
Those who swivel their eyes upwards see the sun/eyeball has begun to spin, the cat iris flashing as it circles about
Justin gets a splitting headache and yanks the helmet off, staggering slightly. The flaming eye sphere regains its equilibrium, just in time to sputter out for a few moments again
Memnon pipes up.
“Boss, I think that thing might need to be hooked up inside the room to work correctly “
There is a rending crash from the room as Alessia destroys something else
“Assuming there is anything left to hook it up to”
Justin, still staggering slightly, shakes his head, then his eyes widen and he looks like he might vomit.
"OOH! Bad Idea!"
He tries to regain his wizardly composure.
"Yeah, I think you're right Memnon. It was worth a try though."
The wizard winces as he hears more smashing from inside.
"Um, Alessia? You can stop smashing things now! Probably shouldn't have STARTED smashing until we figured out what was what, But THAT ship has sailed,... We can TRY to hook this back up? But I'm not sure that there's much left to hook it to. Or much time left to do it."
Justin takes a cautious, deep breath, trying to regain his senses.
"Well,... we destroyed SOMETHING alright. But was it the Phylactery? Or the thing that might have led us TO the phylactery? Or maybe both? Inquiring wizards wanna know! Ugh,... Either way, we need to locate another way out of this pocket-plane. The sooner the better."
Justin has a flashback, suddenly reminded of something that Isaac once said.
"We destroy more things before breakfast than most adventuring groups do all day. Sometimes that's even on purpose."
"Um, Alessia? You can stop smashing things now! Probably shouldn't have STARTED smashing until we figured out what was what, But THAT ship has sailed,... We can TRY to hook this back up? But I'm not sure that there's much left to hook it to. Or much time left to do it."
Alessia stops trashing the room (cockpit? bridge?), then slowly turns her head to look directly at Justin. After locking eyes for a few seconds, she stalks toward the doorway. Just before stepping across the threshold, she lashes out to smash one last control panel on the wall.
Justin swallows, hard, as Alessia stalks out of the room and past him.
"Yeah. You're right. This place was WAY overrated. We're done here."
The wizard shoots out a hand to cover Memnon's mouth as the Crystal skull's jaw opens to speak. Muffled curses in a variety of languages escape through his fingers.
"Hamar! Care to scout us a way outta here?" Justin asks cheerfully.
The wizard yelps in surprise and yanks his hand away from the Mimir. He shakes his hand, hissing in pain, and then glares at the crystal skull.
The crystal skull seems singularly unimpressed.
"Hmph. Serves you right for trying to muzzle a superior intellect. I knew better than to put the helmet on. Probably gave you brain cancer."
"Yeah, well, I'm NOT going to try and hook it back up or try it again. Whatever was in that helmet before, it falls under the 'NotVeryNice' category."
Hamar grunts, an heads down the pyramid.
He pauses, simply unsure of which way to go in such a place.
He activates a power in his luckstone for the very first time...
True Seeing.
Hamar heads down the narrow stairs of the pyramid. He notes that the black marble is crusted in places with old brownish stains - blood? He reaches the bottom and heads off into the jungle. The true seeing seems to show him that the surrounding area is exactly what it seems - a jungle. Noting hidden reveals itself
Before Hamar sets off Memnon pipes up
“Boss, I have a bit of experience with chaositech. The Ranäisians loved messing with it. Maybe I can still access it. The necro blasts shouldn’t affect me, I don’t operate on those wavelengths lifewise “