Caladius nods to the three low hanging baskets. "Someone want to light those? I'll try and get the higher ones."
At that point, he kneels down and takes out a handful of arrows and works with Sabinus to coat them in oil. He also rips up a few strips of cloth and dips them in the oil too, then ties the strip just behind each of the arrow heads. Caladius looks at Sabinus when the arrows are prepared, "I aim, you light the strip, then I shoot. That work for you?"
---
Sabinus is an able and willing assistant!
After impaling the first few baskets with burning arrows, and lighting the three lowest aflame, all of them (there were 9) suddenly start buzzing from within. Out of the top of many arise large and ugly stirges, their long noses pointed in your direction!
Five of the stirges are badly burned as they struggled to fly free of the burning baskets and perish. The remaining four appear unscathed and fly towards you to attack while you're still flat footed.
INIT:
Lucon
Enko
Corneleous
Ava
Caladius
Sabinus
Stirges x9
---
Stirge1 miss vLucon
Stirge2 miss vCaladius
Stirge3 hit vCorneleous
Stirge4 hit vAva
- Stirges x4
- The Group
The four remaining stirges attack! Lucon, Caladius, Corneleous and Ava each have a stirge lunge in, trying to attach themselves to your flesh.
All of you manage to fend theirs off, keeping the stirge from sinking it's long proboscis deep into their skin.
Caladius takes a quick hop into the room and away from the stirge flapping in his face then fires off a quick pair of arrows, one at his stirge and one at the stirge harrying the Viscount.
[spoiler=Round 1]
Ava pulls her hammer free of its sheath, but fails to hit the tiny creature fluttering towards her as she swings with one hand.
[/dice]
Enko double attacks the nearest stirge, kicking at it in a blur.
The four remaining stirges attack! Lucon, Caladius, Corneleous and Ava each have a stirge lunge in, trying to attach themselves to your flesh.
All of you manage to fend theirs off, keeping the stirge from sinking it's long proboscis deep into their skin.
Caladius takes a quick hop into the room and away from the stirge flapping in his face then fires off a quick pair of arrows, one at his stirge and one at the stirge harrying the Viscount. The first arrow at his own harrassing stirge takes it through it's torso, and passes straight through, the stirge fluttering slowly to the ground as it's life bleeds away. The second arrow misses the one attacking Corneleous.
Sabinus attempts to put the stirge attacking Ava to sleep. The stirge falles under the slumber hex, fluttering peacefully to the ground as it relaxes and settles to the ground at Ava's feet.
Ava pulls her hammer free of its sheath, and just manages to hit the tiny, helpless creature slumbering before her as she swings with one hand, crushing the life out of the stirge with a single blow.
Lucon moves forward and swings manfully at the stirge attacking him. He swipes it right out of the air, the life blasted out of it like he was swatting a fly.
The Viscount swings at the lone remaining stirge with a staff, missing by a large margin.
Enko double attacks the nearest stirge, kicking at it in a blur. The first strike would surely have ended it, but the stirge dodges up and away, the second does land a glancing blow, but fails to bring the stirge down.
- Stirges x1
- The Group
The stirge hovering over Corneleous zips in through his defenses, it's long probiscus penetrating deep into his shoulder. It's little clawed feet seem to anchor themselves in the mans clothes and flesh. Blood gets quickly sucked from the Viscount, the stirge swelling slightly as it feeds.
Enko steps up to Corneleous (assuming it's 5') does something extremely rapidly with two pointy fingers to the stirge.
It's hard to tell if Enko's strikes or Sabinus's hex hit the stirge first, but either way it disconnects and falls away from Corneleous's shoulder and hits the ground with a thud.
Like the other rooms, the bodies of the stirges soon waft away in puffs of purple smoke, leaving behind four grape-sized pieces of purple amethyst.
Caladius lowers his bow as the last stirge is ripped from the Viscount. As the stirges transform into puffs of smoke and the smoke hardens into little gems, he remarks, "One room left. I wonder what kind of gems this last one'll leave behind."
Coming to the final room you see hundreds of flickering candles burn in narrow niches lining the walls of the room all the way up to the ceiling.
"Pyrophobia? Is that what we're up to?"
"I wonder what awaits us in this room. Fire has been our friend in the past two rooms, but in here we could use some water. Does anyone have any water magic? Or any way to resist harm from fire?"
Ava grits her teeth, her mind wandering back to the flames that almost consumed her underground in the Bastards of Erebus HQ. She seems almost hesitant this time, but if she is indeed afraid, her face does not show it.
Despite this, she has little to contribute to this trial save for her steel and arrows - a fact that she voices.
"I knew a tiefling once who could hold hot coals in her hand, as if they were nothing." She glances over at Caladius, memories from her past half-remembered. "Do you have that same gift?"
"I would prepare that spell, Corneleous," says Enko, scanning upwards.
Just for fun, he leaves his bullseye lantern outside of the room.
Caladius shakes his head at Ava's question, "Nope." He offers little further explanation other than a shrug.
Enko doesn't spot anything obviously untoward in the little room, just a lot of space and candles.
Sabinus stands behind the crowd at the threshold, loaded crossbow in hand and scanning the room for movement ( ). He makes no move to enter the room first.
"Corneleous, perhaps your elemental should lead the way...although by the rules around here, it probably needs us to trigger it."
Enko is ready to jump in the room and will do so the moment someone martial makes a move (*cough*Caladius*cough*).
Groaning loudly, Caladius shoulders his way past the group and stomps up to one of the bays of candles. If nothing explodes in his face, he licks his spliced together forefinger and middle finger along with his thumb and snuffs out a candle, tossing an eye roll back at the group for good measure.
Nothing explodes in his face, but as the tiefling is enjoying himself at the groups expense, five small fires flare up from several candles and move to hop down and attack!
INIT:
Lucon
Enko
Corneleous
Ava
Caladius
Sabinus
???
Fire1
Fire2
Fire3
Fire4
- Group
- Fire things
Lucon lets out a shout and rushes to Caladius' side, charging at the first flame in sight.
Enko blushes furiously, then covers for it by flurrying furiously.
[dice=for]1d8[/dice
Ava grips her hammer tight and takes a massive swing into the flames.
A growl rumbles in the back of Caladius' throat as the fires spring up around him. His sword flashes free from its scabbard as he tries to hack one of the approaching flames in half.
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Sabinus' eyes go wide: "I don't know if I can make one of those things go to sleep, or give it the old evil eye -- I wouldn't be sure where to look -- but I think there's still something I can do..." Sabinus uses the misfortune hex on one of the fire things closest to the stairs. It seems to quake slightly as it succumbs to the witch's hex.
Lucon lets out a shout and rushes to Caladius' side, charging at the first flame in sight, his weapon clipping the flame creature and the fire snuffing out in a quiet whoosh of air.
"Enko, my good man, I'm not sure it is wise to expend my most powerful energies before the climax." and unleashes an acid dart at an unengaged flame creature, striking it solidly.
Enko blushes furiously, then covers for it by flurrying furiously. The first blow lands, but the power behind it isn't great. The second strike just misses.
Ava grips her hammer tight and takes a massive swing into the flames, moving towards and hitting the one still sizzling from the acid, snuffing out it's flame forever.
A growl rumbles in the back of Caladius' throat as the fires spring up around him. His sword flashes free from its scabbard as he tries to hack one of the approaching flames in half. The combination of strength and haste causes him to miss the flaming creature by a wide margin, though had it hit he surely would have ended the creature.
The flames reach out flaming tendrils, whirling them around to try and slam and burn you. The first misses Caladius, it's flames unable to get past his armor. The second nearly manages to burn Lucon, his clothes crisping and smoking slightly but the carpenter remains unharmed. The final creature aims its attack at Enko, but the monk is in his own element and slips past the clumsy swing of the flame with ease.
- The Group
- Flames x3
Lucon, beard smouldering, redoubles his assault. He swings his hammer in a wide arc...
Ava presses her assault, bringing her hammer around for another attack.
Frowning as the flames dance around his cuts, the burly tiefling swings again and mutters, "Stay still!"
Enko strikes out at the nearest flame, seeking to obliterate it with a series of open palm strikes.
Lucon, beard smouldering, redoubles his assault. He swings his hammer in a wide arc, flattening the flame creature to the floor. The flames wink out as quickly as they had formed earlier.
Ava presses her assault, bringing her hammer around for another attack, but barely misses the surprisingly agile flame.
Frowning as the flames dance around his cuts, the burly tiefling swings again and mutters, "Stay still!" The power of the swing cuts the flame into two halves, and the wind of it's passes snuffs it out completely.
Sabinus see there's no need to maintain the first misfortune on the flame near Caladius (as it's destroyed) and so proceeds to bend reality to the misfortune of the last remaining flame near Enko. This one quakes as it succumbs to the misfortune hex.
Enko strikes out at the nearest flame, seeking to obliterate it with a series of open palm strikes. His hands move so fast they are hard to see, seeming to sweep the flame up and around and then dispersing the creature altogether.
As soon as the last elemental dies, it bursts into smoke, leaving behind five fiery orange, grape-sized pearls.
As you collect the precious stones, the earlier voice cackles loudly from the main observatory room where you first heard it. "Well done you crazies! Now bring me your payment and I will make you sane and let you in on some secrets!"
Flying down from the ceiling when you enter the room is a twitchy, bug eyed little imp, clapping enthusiastically as you enter. She holds out both hands, clearly expecting payment. "Well, come on! Hand over the payments if you're ready to not be so crazy anymore..." her little voice pitched high and grating.
Caladius looks at the strange imp and growls, "Who are you again?"