Asvald tears apart the blinded and unlucky construct, a victory marred only by an inopportune miss with a bite.
The remaining tophet continues to beat on Asvald, again hitting the bear multiple times .
Round 4:
Initiative order
Senja
Torque
Eva
Asvald
Tophets
Round 4 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Senja-acted
Torque
Eva
Asvald
Tophet
The tophet isn't quick enough to avoid the thundercloud.
The power of Asvald's attacks finishes off the final tophet (barely, as it were).
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Senja’s crazed laugh fades away as he watches in awe while the man-bear tears apart his massive metal foe. ”Well, let’s get Asvald patched up and see what’s through those doors, shall we?” he suggests.
While Asvald is healed, Senja takes a half-hearted look at the double doors for any unpleasant surprises.
Senja notices nothing unusual about the doors.
With Asvald back up to snuff, the intrepid quartet opens the double doors, revealing an amazing sight: a ledge overlooks a huge and strikingly beautiful natural cavern. Steep steps descend from the ledge to the cavern floor. Covering the floor is a sprawling garden of weird blossoms, towering fungi, and alien-looking plants whose bulbs and pods sway in the still air.
A short distance away, the Emerald Spire pierces the center of the cavern. Paths lead east and west from the foot of the stairs through the foliage. The whole cavern is illuminated by the Spire, and by a mysterious radiance that shines from the crystals embedded in the ceiling extremely high above. In the wall at the east end of the ledge stands a set of stone double doors decorated with reliefs of serene faces.
Senja detects a magical aura somewhere in the undergrowth; it seems to be from an item of enhanced armor. The witch also notes what looks like a more robust specimen of yellow musk creeper than the typical example.
The stairs descend to an area around the Emerald Spire itself, which dances with light. A basin carved from stone surrounds it, and green-hued water sprays from several fissures in its surface, collecting in a pool within the basin. A stream flows westward out of the pool, and a small building of yellow marble stands on its banks. To the southwest, another cave mouth opens in the south wall. The yellow musk creeper is in the growth to the east.
The color of the water seems largely to be from the Spire-light, but there is a slight glow to it. Senja detects magic on it .
Asvald sees that the path branches to the south, opening into a side cavern that's much less overgrown than the main grotto. From his position he can't see the furthest reaches of the side cavern. The ceiling of the side cavern is concealed by an apparent illusion of a starry night sky.
The cavern widens out to the west past a pillar where a stalactite and stalagmite joined long ago. Barsvald notices that there's much less vegetation in this part of the complex, but there are several stone statues of various creatures scattered about the area. Past the pillar, he sees a strange enclosure made from transparent crystal. It seems to be a pen or terrarium, with carefully arranged flora inside. Several more stone statues nearby seem to be adventurers or explorers, sculpted with looks of surprise or horror on their faces. Inside the enclosure, a reptilian creature glares at the skald with terrible yellow eyes.
Asvald feels a malign force trying to transform his body, but he easily resists it. He recognizes the creature as a fiendish basilisk.
There appears to be nothing else of interest in the side chamber.
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As Asvald explores the nearby cavern, Senja focuses his attention on the glowing pool. His eyes widen as he realizes just what it is, though he frowns a little in disappointment as he realizes the limitations of the magic. ”This is powerful stuff,” he calls out to his friends, ”this water acts as a potion of both heal and greater restoration, but only when fresh and only once per person per day. I hope we don’t have occasion to use the stuff!”
He then asks Asvald, ”Should we come that way? See anything interesting?”
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Barsvald backs away from the lizard.
"Don't go that way. There's a mean lizard that gave me the chills when it met my gaze", he growls in explanation to the party.
Hearing Senja's description of the water, Barsvald nods. "Good to know we have something like that ready in case of emergency."
"Let's see what's in this little building up north. We can double back and deal with the lizard later."
The building is constructed of marble, polished to a high gloss. There is no apparent movement inside of it.
The door opens easily. Carved scenes of cavorting nymphs adorn the walls, and three luxurious porcelain basins are embedded in the floor. The basins are enameled with golden patterns of flowering vines. One tub is dry and empty, another filled with black sludge, and the last is filled with gently steaming water.
In alcoves along the east and west walls, two-foot-tall stalagmites pierce the floor and radiate a pleasant heat. There's a door in the north wall. In addition, there are two scantily clad human women in the apparent bathhouse. They look up as the door opens, and both raise empty hands in a gesture of surrender. "We mean you no harm."
Eva detects no duplicity from the pair. "Master Nhur Athemon returned here not long ago and imprisoned us here. We don't dare leave for fear of the monsters outside in the garden, and if he returned and found us gone his wrath would be most terrible."
"Oh, you could wait here. We don't know where he goes...I think he said he usually stayed somewhere below."
"You could take some time to relax. Don't use those tubs--the magic on them doesn't work any more." She indicates the empty tub and the one filled with sludge.
She steps aside to allow the bear into the small room.