With everyone still wounded, Valentin sends out another burst of positive energy.
Terana takes the hit without a sound and fights on.
Ema spotted the remaining merfolk amidst the jellyfish and chanted and gestured. When she finished a flurry of magical bolts lanced out from her fingers to slam unerringly into their enemy,
Between all of your attacks and magic missiles, you take down the second merfolk!
No sooner have you defeated your attackers than you spot a looming figure moving along the floor of the ocean. The plankta, Ruinquake, approaches! The shattered remnants of buildings and statues can be seen in the enormous shuddering mass of wet, rugged rock that make up the aberration's body. It ignores you as it slowly trundles along towards the distant city of Talasantri!
With the deepmerfolk defeated Ema knew it was time. Ema activated her belt to become a mermaid again and swam over to her friends after her transformation. "We had best finish healing if we are going to do this." She recast one of her defensive spells and waited to be healed.
Gathering everyone, Valentin channels again, looking to get the party as healthy as possible.
Victrix takes the Displacement extract and readies her aberration-killing blade.
"Yes. Let's."
Knowing it was definitely time to take down the plankata Ema tore open a portal to one of the celestial realms. She was going to call out the biggest predators she could to attack the creature and hope that they could harm it.
As the gate stood open three of the fiercest undersea predators to ever live swam forth. Ema chanted a spell to speed them all up and then pointed towards Ruinquake and told the sharks in Celestial, "Smite and kill that abomination!"
Terana smites Ruinquake with holy power and heads straight for its head!
Ruinquake initially ignores you as you swiftly swim to surround it. Simon, Terana, and Victrix all score good hits on the stony monster, but Ema's summoned sharks have difficulty getting past its rocky shell.
Ruinquake roars with fury as it unleashes a barrage of smoldering hot boulders from its body! Its beady eyes turn to focus on Simon and the spear he wields, remembering all-too-well the sting of Seaspike!
Valentin stays back near Ema for now, holding his spells until they will be most useful.
While the first shark was a bit slow and took significant harm from Ruinquake's area attack, though not as much as might be expected the other two managed to dodge the worst of it, if only barely.
The sharks quickly retaliated as they tried to tear into Ruinquake again.
The first two sharks failed to do any harm to the great beast but the third one was always an over achiever. The third shark found a nice vulnerable spot when Ruinquake wasn't looking and tore a big bite out of the great monstrosity.
Ema knew this thing needed to be weakened and short of countering any magic it might cast at them that was the best thing she could do to help right now. She swam to just barely in range and then chanted and gestured sending a dark beam of energy out in hopes to eat away at Ruinquake's very essence.
Victrix roars and starts slicing at Ruinquake!
Terana gets battered by the rocks but closes her own wounds in a moment and continues hammering at the creature.
Victrix finds it hard to get past Ruinquake's stony shell. Terana only lands one hit, but Simon puts Seaspike to its intended purpose, stabbing the massive plankta again and again. Ema drains its the monster's life force, overcoming its spell resistance. One of her sharks lands a critical hit, but as its teeth tear through Ruinquake's body, its rocky form cracks and a gout of magma spews out at the shark!
Ruinquake swings its heavy appendages at Simon and tries to bite him as well. It manages to land but one hit.
Simon continues to strike at the plankta. Most of his attacks miss, but with his final thrust, he drives the point of Seaspike right into the plankta's stony heart! Ruinquake roars and shudders, fiery magma spurting from the fatal blow. The debris of ancient buildings fall away from the dying monster's body, and at last, it topples over, defeated once and for all!
Valentin moves in and casts Heal on Simon bringing him to full health as the massive abberation falls to the sea floor.
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As the creature falls, Simon looks down in amazement at the artifact in his hands, not able to believe that they were able to defeat such a powerful enemy.
He barely notices as Valentin comes in to heal his injuries, but soon breaks from his reverie.
Turning inward for a moment, he draws butterfly wings over his heart and says a quick prayer of thanks to Desna for adding luck to the battle and for keeping them safe. Then, looking around he congratulates everyone for their effort.
"No rest for the weary, we still have another army to defeat."
Victrix's rage finally subsides when Ruinquake falls.
Terana examines the huge chunk of adamantine with a hungry look on her face, the warrior in her knows exactly what sort of armor could be forged from it and the thought is extremely tempting - with suitable enchantments to reduce the weight of course!
"I guess we don't have time to commission armor..." She says with a sigh. "A suit or two of this and Victrix and I would be unstoppable."
Victrix shoots Terana a look. "Mate, I'm already un-f@&*ing-stoppable."
Defeating Ruinquake spares Talasantri untold damage. As you return to the city, you’re not only hailed once again as heroes, but also given new accolades as legends beyond the likes of Wavewalker. Ruinquake has long been a slumbering threat for the citizens of the aquatic city, and its destruction sends a renewed hope and sense of security throughout the formerly troubled city.
After resting and recovering from the battle, Rillikamatai arranges a merfolk mage to teleport you to the island that holds the ruins of the Azlanti city of Kalas-Ti, one of the Twin Jewels of Kynos that once covered this region. Just beyond sight of the city ruins, you meet up with a group of Mordant Spire elves lead by Nieran Codali. The masked ranger greets you with a gruff nod.
"It is good that you are here. Ochymua's underlings prepare for war, and we need to stop them before it is too late. It would be foolish to attempt to defeat the entirety of the veiled master's armies, but we have identified several key targets. Disabling these objectives should buy you enough time to enter the Spindle Solution's compound without fear of Ochymua's army launching an invasion of the region."
Nieran goes on to detail the three objectives:
Fleshwarper: A mysterious newcomer by the moniker of Doctor Hacksaw recently arrived in Kalas-Ti. The Mordant Spire elves don’t know much more about Doctor Hacksaw than the name, but since the newcomer’s arrival, many of Ochymua’s aberrant troops have been spotted with organic fleshwarped augmentations. Finding and eliminating this recent arrival will ensure such augmentations will not continue.
Mesh Nodes: Nieran and his allies discovered numerous organic apparatuses scattered within Kalas-Ti. Upon brief investigation, the Mordant Spire learned that these were actually organic “nodes” operating to extend the psychic communication network of the aboleths. The elves were unable to discover much else about the nodes, but they believe that sabotaging them may sow confusion among the forces in and around the area.
Transports: Despite the aquatic nature of the ulat-kini, Ochymua’s army requires transports in order to properly convey it across the Arcadian Ocean. Several vehicles built to resemble gigantic metal crayfish rest along the beaches of Kalas-Ti. Their destruction should slow the advance of the skum legions.
With the fall of Ruinquake Ema felt a wash of relief? She quickly dismissed her sharks and slumped a bit in relief. "Well that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Let's go back to the city shall we?" Being hailed as heroes and legends was nice and getting to rest was even nicer, especially since she tracked down her poet friend to spend the night with.
Ema made it a point to look around for a wizard who she could get the greater version of shadow conjuration from. She was ready to pay for it but she hoped that their current celebrity would lessen the price a bit.
When they teleported to the ruins of Kalas-Ti Ema felt a wash of nostalgia. She remembered this city when it was in its glory but to see it now... She shook her head and sighed as she said, "The city was once so beautiful. I can still remember how it used to look in the daytime, the light glinting off of the arches and masonry, the whole city seemed to glow in the daytime. It paled to compare to the night though. It was a like a beacon in the dark, a glowing metropolis of people and beauty." There were tears in her eyes then as she said, "But now, now it is nothing but a ruin inhabited by monsters who have corrupted it. Our own folly and the shortsightedness of our leaders brought it all down around us and now, only I and a lich are left to remember its glory."
When Ema caught sight of the masked elves she quickly wiped her eyes clear and hardened her expression. She didn't like the Mordant Spire much and the feeling was largely mutual. She would work with them though and hope she never had to again. She gave their leader a terse nod and listened to what was said about their objectives.
Ema considered their options and then said, "I think taking out their communications would be the best way to start. If they cannot communicate that leads to confusion and confusion can only be good for us. I would also recommend that when we take them out we quickly move to another, not the nearest one but one further out so they do not know where we will hit. If we can find several good points I can mark then I can teleport us around some to further change where we are attacking and keep them guessing."
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Simon is extremely uncomfortable being lauded as a hero. For years, he has wished for recognition, yet now that he has it, all he can think of is anonymity. He does his best in the brief public encounters they experience, but withdraws inside when possible.
As they reach Kalas-Ti, he looks around with interest, but really just wants to get the whole affair over with, and can't really focus on the history of the region.
Listening to Ema's idea, he nods. "Sounds wise. I agree, let us hunt down these nodes and see what we can do."
The Mordant Spire elves provide you with a rough map of the enemy armies' encampment to help you plan your assault.
A2. Landing Site: The beach landing site is the primary point of disgorging ulat-kini traveling across the Arcadian Ocean to answer Ochymua’s call. Most of Ochymua’s growing forces moved from this area to area A3, which has become a growing muster point for the veiled master’s hidden army. Still, several units of ulat-kini watch over the vessels resting along the shore here.
A3. Massing Point: Thick pavilion canvas stretches across the ruins of ancient buildings, while house-sized seashells throughout the area act as dwellings. Hundreds of figures roam about here, from armored fishlike soldiers, to robed humans with visible gills, and even multi-tentacled behemoths plodding through connecting waterways.
A4. Fane of Aesocar: The site formerly overseen by the Azlanti faithful of Aesocar, god of health and medicine, survived Earthfal mostly intact. The enemy forces seem to give this building a wide berth.
A5. Laboratory: This small laboratory seems to be the laboratory where Doctor Hacksaw performs his fleshwarping experiments.
A6A-D. Mesh Repeaters: These strange organic structures each resemble a blooming organic flower of wriggling, blue, jelly-coated flesh, reaching about 20 feet into the air. These are the "nodes" that somehow expand the aboleths' psychic network.
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Simon looks over the map with his inexperienced eye, and suggests, "If the Mesh Repeaters are our initial objective, then I suggest we land on the eastern side of the island, which appears to give a straight shot to this one", he points to A6a.
"After we figure out what we are dealing with, we can swing to the northern one, then past this temple on the way to the southern one. I am sure there are other better ideas as well."
Terana accepts the accolades with a reasonable amount of grace, and spends her time talking to the people and keeping the worst of the fawning and so forth from her companions.
The prospect of a suit of adamantine armor makes her rather giddy and she does a pretty good job of giving a good impression to the people of Talisantri.
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"Sounds like a plan." She agrees with Simon. He's smart and she's much better at fighting things than planning.
Victrix doesn't think much of the accolades the group receives. Celebrating too early--still got a Veiled Master to gut.
You make your move, stealthily approaching the eastern side of the peninsula from the sea and moving to the first of the mesh repeaters. Wary for traps, Simon finds and disables a magical symbol spell along your path.
Soon, you reach the first of the mesh repeaters. It is an entirely organic structure, resembling a blooming organic flower of wriggling, blue, jelly-coated flesh, reaching about 20 feet into the air. The base of the apparatus is a 10-foot square, with chitin-lined tumors supporting the bulk of the protrusion.
Simon discovers that the repeater is protected by a magical trap, set to psychically attack any creature attempting to meddle with it.
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Simon readies his typical long term buffs of Heroism, Barkskin, and Mutagen before setting out onto the island.
Bouncing the other two Heroism extracts on his palm, he considers who should take them. "Terana, your connection to your god seems to protect you from most of the magic we have encountered, and I think it would be best to boost Ema's recall for the coming encounters. I hope you don't take offense."
He hands the extracts to Victrix and Ema, then warily begins walking toward the repeater.
"This repeater is a fleshwarped ability. It appears the veiled master cares little for its own species. It does not appear to be alive in the typical sense, though it might still have the ability to defend itself."
Motioning the other to stand back for a moment, he points out the trap and moves in to attempt to disarm it.
Standing back, he waits to see if Ema has any thoughts on how to deal with the repeater.
Ema made sure to mark several decent teleport points with an invisible mark to help serve as a guide post for them should she be moving them around. When they finally reached the first of the repeaters Ema looked at the thing with disgust.
Dawning horror crossed Ema's face as she realized what this thing was. She couldn't believe they would do this to one of their own like this. Her already pale skin went paler as she said, "This was an aboleth once. They flesh warped one of their own into...this!" She took a minute to calm herself and then said, "I should be able to interfere with it by simple casting the appropriate spell on it. We should make sure it is safe to do so though."
Ema realized that Simon had already made progress and disabled a trap on the repeater. She focused and began to chant a spell, one much higher level than she expected to be using for this, and when she was done she released the magic to sow confusion through the network.
The repeater twitches and writhes as Ema's spell takes effect. Grumbles and shouts can be heard in the distance as some of the creatures connected to the psychic network react to the disturbance! It would probably be best to get moving before anybody can investigate your sabotage...
Terana accepts Simon's potions going to Emma with an equamic shrug, and then stands guard while the magicians do their magical things. The news that the repeaters are aboleths of a sort makes her frown but she doesn't seem overly surprised.
"There is no depth they won't sink to." She says, sadly. "That is why we have to stop them once and for all."
You dodge past patrols of skum and avoid a few more symbol traps on your way to the second mesh repeater. There, Ema uses her shadow enchantment magic to throw another wrench into the works of the psychic mesh. You move on quickly again, approaching the ruined temple to Aesocar.
Two protectors, clockwork angels crafted in the bygone era of Azlant, stand sentinel atop the upper walls of the fane. These angels have both suffered serious damage over the passing millennia, but they are still operable. You'll have to defeat or bypass them if you wish to explore the temple.
Ema was relieved the mission had gone so well with two of the repeaters corrupted. They had just one to go when she saw a rather formidable sight. Two clockwork angels guarded the entrance and she knew they would need to get past them. They could try to fight them but hat would be very noisy and attract a lot of attention.
After a moment of thought Ema approached the angels respectfully and said, "I am Emalliandra daughter of Aliandara by Jazradan. I am my friends have come to ffer our prayers at the altar. I ask that you let us pass."
The clockwork angels cross their glaives as Ema approaches, the blades erupting with flames. They do not attack, but they do not seem inclined to allow her entrance. Unfortunately, the arcanist realizes that these constructs are unintelligent and can only follow their programming. They cannot be reasoned with.