"Everybody back up, I don't know if this thing is going to explode or not," Anklebiter says.
Unless anyone stops him, he walks over to the cave wall -- and whacks the staff of dark flame into it like a farmer might slam an ordinary stick into a boulder to break it into kindling…!
The staff splinters slightly, but the whack on the wall doesn't do much more than that.
"Grgh...!" Anklebiter snarls, clearly frustrated. "Apologies, Soldier of Righteousness; I am … not physically strong. Giant friend Lefrik Olegson, might I borrow your strength for this?"
Calla snorts in amusement at the ridiculousness of the situation.
"Maybe let the angel do it, if it would give him some pleasure..."
She does, however, back away.
Kel backs even further away and locates herself conveniently behind Calla.
"I'll do it," Bruendor says, accepting the staff. "If it explodes, I've probably got the best chance to roll with it." He backs up a few paces as well from his friends and the angel, draws his longsword, and brings the blade down upon the gnarled wood.
Lefrik realizes he missed something spoken and then catches up, "Are you sure, Bruendor? If you prefer..." But by then the dwarf is already trying. Should his friend fail, he'll take his turn.
"Please, allow me."
The deva took the staff and laid it on the ground. It stared at the evil object for some time, then raised its sword above its head and brought it down with a mighty blow. Golden fire outlined the staff for a brief moment, then the stave shattered into fragments that each burned with holy intensity. When it was done, only traces of ash were left.
"There. Our bargain is sealed. Shall we away?"
"Gladly," Anklebiter says.
Relief is almost visibly pouring off of the Goblin, like steam. He even stands (a little) taller, rolling his shoulders.
"I'd swear I feel lighter!" the little Wizard laughs, delighted. "Thank you very much for that, Soldier of Righteousness. Alright… Magic time!"
Twirling the rod of Extend Magic like a baton, Anklebiter chants a spell that ends with him rising a few inches above the ground.
"An utter delight!" he proclaims. "Very well, brother Brue; you are our scout, and I yield the floor to you."
Lefrik looks at his goblin friend, "I did not know it was such a heavy burden, my friend. Or how much you had imperiled yourself bearing it for us. You are more a hero than you realize I think."
"Well, at least it allowed me to get you out of that giant spider's mandibles, giant friend Lefrik Olegson," Anklebiter says, smiling.
"But the other thing it 'helped' me do... That weighed on me. I would still like to divest myself of that. Heh. Saving the world should be just the ticket."
"Yes. It should." A nod "A great cause of the right? I am no holy knight, but if there no redemption for our dark weights in that, then what is the point of it all anyway?"
"We make our own redemption," Calla notes, "or will at least if we can get going. We've got these six scrolls, that should at least get us there faster."
You alter the substance of your body to a cloudlike vapor (as the gaseous form spell) and move through the air, possibly at great speed. You can take other creatures with you, each of which acts independently.
Normally, a wind walker flies at a speed of 10 feet with perfect maneuverability. If desired by the subject, a magical wind wafts a wind walker along at up to 600 feet per round (60 mph) with poor maneuverability. Wind walkers are not invisible but rather appear misty and translucent. If fully clothed in white, they are 80% likely to be mistaken for clouds, fog, vapors, or the like.
A wind walker can regain its physical form as desired and later resume the cloud form. Each change to and from vaporous form takes 5 rounds, which counts toward the duration of the spell (as does any time spent in physical form). As noted above, you can dismiss the spell, and you can even dismiss it for individual wind walkers and not others.
For the last minute of the spell's duration, a wind walker in cloud form automatically descends 60 feet per round (for a total of 600 feet), though it may descend faster if it wishes. This descent serves as a warning that the spell is about to end.
"This whole ugly business has left a stain on all of us," Bruendor remarks. "And it's not like we had a lot of choice at times. Still, I'd do everything I've done over again, if it meant we have a fighting chance to save the world."
"I feel like Calistria wants us to use the map and scrolls," Calla emphasizes.
Kel consults her star chart. "We should definitely follow the map and use those scrolls, the heavens have confirmed it." She prepares herself for the long flight.
The barbarian shrugs "Well, I'm not going to argue with the gods. By all means."
"Your guidance has never steered us wrong, Kel," Bruendor said, only slightly disappointed he would not be able to live up to his namesake. "Let's see what the Pathfinder's notes say about the journey."
Scrolls cast and map in front of you, you begin the descent into Orv. The path on the map wasn't shown on any other map of the Darklands, and you feel very cautious about accepting its veracity. but, as time went on, you found every marking to be true, every distance precise, and even the notes on dangers and wonders alike to be spot on.
The route took you ever deeper under the surface, through an astounding variety of secondary and tertiary tunnels, none of them blocked by cave-ins or especially small or narrow. Several times you flew through immense caverns that took more than a minute to traverse, even at your phenomenal speed. According to the map, you were somewhere under the River Kingdoms when you flew down a 500-foot waterfall that dropped you down onto the very edge of what was marked as the Land of Black Blood. A journey of some 900 miles or so had passed in a single, wearying day.
The land's namesake was clear enough to see. You'd likley have picked up on it without the map's labeling. From the very ground a chilly black fluid with an oily sheen rose and bubbled, seeping back into the earth through a myriad of cracks. This vile liquid seemed to embody the distilled corruption of this underground area, flowing in a manifestation of death and dark energies. According to the map, the Land of Black Blood is immense, containing its own mountains and lakes.
According to the map notes, you have entered at the Northeastern entrance (A), and the genie's lair is at location E, The Grove of Statues.
"Well, that was something," Anklebiter says, weary. "So. This is Orv. Do we want to head to our next destination in a straight line or more roundabout? Shall I cast Invisibility sphere and extend it for a little additional security?"
"Time is of the essence, and as of yet, I don't think our quarry knows we've arrived. With the element of surprise, and your magics, we should be fine heading straight there. Do any of you know what sort of bargains we might be entering into with this genie? I know nothing about the geniekin, but I feel like anything down here is probably not on the side of, well..." Bruendor trails off and glances to their ally from the Upper Planes.
"The Pathfinders say the genie likes gems, and the Elf-queen gave us a nice emerald. It's worth trying," Anklebiter suggests.
"Straight seems easiest," Calla agrees. "Let's hope your magic can do the trick."
Never optimistic, she casts greater magic weapon and heroism on herself, as usual. Once underway, she keeps her eyes peeled, moving as silently as possible.
"Yes, let's go the quickest route and maintain stealth."
Calla turns and glares at Kelendra as she makes a significant amount of noise. Unfortunately, she's so stealthy, Kelendra probably doesn't see it.
Bruendor glances to Kel and presses a finger to his lips. All the admonishment he gives her is simply, "Sh!"
Anklebiter quickly casts and extends the invisibility spell on the group, then flies alongside them.
Compared to his allies, he is not subtle but for a big man not bad.
With the invisibility sphere in place, you are not easily spotted in the wild lands of Orv, though some noise is inevitable. Especially from Lefrik, who seemed to delight in stomping about as loudly as possible. Still, the invisibility let you bypasss several of the denizens of this place. The underground animals were used to the lack of sight, and their hearing and senses of smell were finely honed, but the ones you encountered were apparently less than willing to take on a group of invisible creatures.
Even at a fast walk, it took another day of travelling to find the genie's lair. And the entire time you were certain that you were about to be attacked. It was a grueling, exhausting march, and when the place marked on teh map as the Grove of Statues appeared, you were unprepared. Unlike on the surface world, here you could not easily see large landmarks from far away. Your natural and magical darkvision simply didn't extend that far. Thus, when Bruendor Cavescouter rounded a bend and saw the first of the statues, he was unprepared.
That did not last long, though, as these were indeed the markers promised on the map. A pathway wound through the statues, each of a grotesque humanoid form , abandoned halfway through the sculpting process. The last half hour of walking was an eerie trek through these monstrosities, but you finally came across a low, wide building of lighter stone rising from the barker basalt. The pathway you walked led straight up to a large set of double doors in the temple's facade.
"This geniekin," the deva speaks up. "What know you of its character?"
"You want me to scout the place out first, guys?" Duchess offers.
Calla investigates the statues briefly, trying to tell if they were carved or instead once-living, transformed creatures.
"Not much," Calla grumbles. "If our source can be believed -- and who knows if she can, this time -- it's a shaitan, from the Elemental Plane of Earth. Her name is Haiten Bhaq, and she is a sort of “caretaker” for the Land of Black Blood. For the right price (a flawless gemstone), she was willing to offer advice to a Pathfinder about the mysterious realm. Hopefully she'll do the same for us."
Calla shakes her head of the homonculus' question.
"Doesn't seem the best approach if we're trying to come in friendship," she says. "Let's just go ourselves. Hopefully for once this won't devolve into a fight."
"Yes, the odds are we're due for SOMEONE liking us."
"Yes, no sense in angering the creature before we speak with it. Let us approach openly and ask for audience."
Calla and Kelendra both think about what they know about shaitan genies, but neither can recall much more than that they are from the Plane of Earth and that they have almost complete control over anything made of stone or metal.
Deciding to head straight in and hope for the best, you approach the building and open the towering doors. The entrance hallway opens outwards, opening the space up to the much larger internal temple. The marble tile flooring was marred by the presence of blood stains, and the bodies of two drow lie crumpled on the floor. One appears to have been crushed by a great weight, and the other was folded around a large pillar as if having been thrown there with great force.
"I have never met genies, but I think I like their taste in décor," Anklebiter says, eartips wiggling.
The deva frowns, puzzled. Then its brow clears.
"Ah. I have heard of this. 'Black humour'?"
"Hellooo~!" Magpie calls out from her perch on Lefrik's head. "Anybody at home? Were we s'pposed to ring a doorbell? We wanna talk to the owner, please~"
He admires the two downed dark elves "I could like this guy."
Then Magpie lands on his head. He sighs, and then ..knocks on the door "Your pardon, but if you have a moment, our need is great, our cause just."
"Just because he's the enemy of our enemies doesn't mean he's our friend," Calla warns. "Let's still try to be careful, for a change."
She awaits a response from their calls.
anklebiter
kelendra
bruendor
calla
lefrik
drow
genie
deva
At Lefrik's touch, the doors to the temple's interior swing inward, revealing a wide, oblong room of the same light-colored stone as the rest of the building. Clear crystals and pale gems create and reflect light from around the high-ceilinged chamber, standing away from the stone walls like scones. Staircases on either side of the room lead up to an altar platform on the far end of the temple, standing about 10 feet above the floor level. The stone altar appears to be made of black granite, a stark contrast to the pale stone of the temple.
All of this is taken in at a glance, but the real event is happening on the raised dais. Six drow soldiers are assaulting a giant woman, apparently made of dark and polished stone and wielding an enormous scimitar. As soon as she sees you, she cries out, "Uplanders! Defend me from these dark demons and I shall reward you!"
The drow spin in place and stare at you, then the battle resumes, with you as the targets!
R1: deva, kelendra, bruendor, calla, shaitan, lefrik, drow, anklebiter
current status:
anklebiter 77/77
bruendor 110/110
calla 84/84
kelendra 91/91
lefrik 168/168
deva 126/126
"Villains! Soldiers of wickedness!" the angel trumpets as she draws her flaming sword. "Yield or face judgment!"
Celestial power erupts on the battlefield, catching three of the Drow!
"It is a bargain, our genie friend, we will dispatch these foul drow." Kel steps forward and creates a bridge of pure moonlight leading from the doors to the raised dais and the genie. "Brue, Lefrik, after you." Kel offers with a smile.
"Well, now," Bruendor says, already reaching for his blade. "Things are finally looking up for us!" With a battlecry, he rushes forward, his footfalls tinkling as he climbs the gentle slope of moonlight towards one of the drow.
HP 92/92
AC 26/29, touch 18, flat-footed 21/24
Fort +11*, Ref +9*, Will +13*; CMD 26
Divine retribution (DC 18) 0/6; Judgments 0/4; Bane 0/11; Discern lies 0/11
cold iron arrows 0/29; elf-bane arrows 0/3; human bane arrows 0/4
Spells: 0/5 (first-level); 0/5 (second level); 0/4 (third level); 0/1 (4th level); Consumables: Gravity Bow ring 1/3
Effects: Purity judgment (+3 to saves; +6 against curses, diseases, and poisons); Protection judgment (+3 to AC; +6 to confirm criticals); heroism (+2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks); greater magic weapon (+1/+2 to bow), gravity bow
"Calistria will be sure to judge your actions when you find your way back into her embrace," she warns them, invoking the goddess' judgment as she pulls her bow and activates her ring.