The party returns to Fort Inevitable with the Hellknight's body and her kyton attendant. There, her compatriots gratefully (or as grateful as a Hellknight ever it) accept it.
The errand completed, you make your way back to the lava-lit caverns of the tenth level.
There are no openings to the east until you get to the north wall, near where you found the Hellknight's bodies. There's also an opening to the north, just west of Kali's location at the moment. You went past it following the kyton.
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
Oops, missed that you were waiting on us.
”I don’t like leaving unexplored bits behind us, you never know what might be lurking in this place,“ Senja comments. ”Let’s see what the passage we went past is hiding.“
Let’s check out the passage near where Kali is on the map. Let’s figure we all get together and do it in standard formation, rather than scattered all over the map as we are now.
The room is apparently where the Hellknights camped for a time. Supply packs and bedrolls lie strewn between rocky protrusions. Scattered cooking implements surround a vent near the north end of the chamber, which hisses a thin line of steam.
There is miscellaneous equipment here that isn't worth much. There's also a series of scratches in the dark rock, including a series of tallies, the phrase "Dreaming of Droncy" in an arrow pointed toward a bedroll, and a crude drawing depicting an armored figure next to a floating sunburst with an eye in the center.
I'm assuming someone casts detect magic.
The backpacks are piled in a neat pyramid. There is a faint abjuration aura in the top pack.
Torque, there is a cube of stone stuck to the inside flap of the backpack. As you open the pack, the cube begins to make a very loud noise.
DC 18 Spellcraft for anyone running detect magic:
This is a stone of alarm: This stone cube, when given the command word, affixes itself to any object. If that object is touched thereafter by anyone who does not first speak that same command word, the stone emits a piercing screech for 1 hour that can be heard up to a quarter-mile away (assuming no intervening barriers).
Kali casts Detect Magic on the stone, examines it for a few moments, then sighs, "It's a Stone of Alarm. It's probably a trap to lure things to us. I'm not sure if I can turn it off..."
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
”Or it’s an alarm to protect whatever is in that backpack, and it failed to protect those around it,“ Senja suggests. ”I could probably dispel its magic, but the effect would only last for a few moments. Can we stuff it in something so it’s not so damn loud? And if not, let’s get away from it, so whatever it attracts doesn’t find us too. “
”In the meantime, let’s see what it was protecting,“ he adds as he looks into the backpack.
Dispel Magic would only suppress the effect for 1d4 rounds. Anyone got a Handy Haversack or something we could put it in?
The backpack contains little that would be worth use of an admittedly minor magic item to guard. Perhaps it was simply meant to alert the rest of the Hellknights if a thief came upon their camping area.
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
"Right, let's had back to that bridge, chuck the noisy cube into the lava, and keep exploring," Senja says curtly, trying to make himself heard over the shrieking sound.
Let's head to the first exit to the east, where I've drawn the yellow arrow. If that's not really an exit, we'll head east after the bridge.
That's not an exit, although there are a number of cracks in the wall through which a ruddy glow emanates.
The party makes its noisy way to the bridge room. However, the scream of the stone draws unwanted attention....
The clouds near the ceiling condense into distinct shapes and drop towards the party! At the same time, a similar creature emerges from beneath the bridge!
Round 1:
Initiative order
Eva
Enemies
Kali
Torque
Asvald
Senja
DC 17 Knowledge (Planes):
These are caustic stalkers, amorphous air elementals with an acidic touch.
Initiative order
Eva-holding
Enemies-acted
Kali
Torque
Asvald
Senja
The trio of monsters advance slightly, and then all three spew forth clouds of acrid-smelling gas onto the party.
This is acid damage. Eva, Asvald, and Torque: DC 18 Reflex save or take 20 HP; save for half damage. Eva, Asvald, Torque, and Kali: DC 18 Reflex save or take another 20 HP; save for half damage. Eva, Asvald, and Kali: DC 18 Reflex save or take another 21 HP; save for half damage. Let me know how many times you took damage (although I think Kali is the only one with evasion).
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
Funny thing is, I thought we only knew that bridge was there because we had been up that way. Guess not...
Knowledge (planes):1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34I know all the things! How about DR, resistances, other fun stuff?
As Senja thinks about the best way to defeat these creatures, he's pretty confident that making his companions go really fast will be useful. He spins his hand in a quick circle, then snaps his fingers and rays of shadow race out to each of his friends, granting them unearthly speed!
Senja, you'd gone that way, but they didn't attack because you weren't there long enough. They don't much care for the alarm, though. I'll get you the info when I'm posting from somewhere other than my phone.
Senja recalls that their acidic breath is also toxic, they're resistant to all weapon damage, and their touch leaves a corrosive residue that continues to affect creature's they've attacked. In addition, anyone touching them (as with an unarmed strike or natural attack) is subject to the same effect. They are, however, damaged by high winds.
M Wayang Witch 10 | HP 70 | AC 18 | T 17 | FF 14 (w/mage armor: 22/17/18) | CMD 18 | Fort +10 | Ref +11 | Will +11 | Init +9 | Perc +21
Ah, you meant additional monster info. Now I get it. I thought you meant info on our having been up that way before, as if you had to prove it somehow. The hazards of posting just before my morning caffeine...
Ouch. Well, that simplifies the poison saves, anyway.
Asvald, DC 22 Fort save or take 4 points CON damage. Eva, DC 22 Fort save or take 1 point CON damage. Torque, DC 20 Fort save or take 1 point CON damage. Kali, DC 20 Fort save or take 1 point CON damage.
Finding himself faced with new opponents, Asvald adopts a mighty quadrupedal shape and begins his usual ursine crooning.
If you accept the raging song:
+2 strength (morale)
+2 constitution (morale)
+2 constitution (enhancement)
+2 will saves (morale)
-1 armor class
Access to raging dirty trick
no spellcasting
F Human Monk 10 [ HP 101/103 (0 NL) | AC 26* Tch 21 FF 24 | Fort +10 Ref +9 Will +13 | CMD 30 | Init +2 | Perc +17, low-light vision | Ki: 16/16 | Effects: mage armor ]
"Kali, look out!" calls Eva, just in the nick of time. Kali, feel free to reroll that failed save; Eva will spend 2 ki points and an immediate action to Ki Mystic you.
Given that you didn't take as much damage, Kali, do you want to do something other than vanish and move?
Round 1 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Enemies-acted
Eva-acted
Kali
Torque-acted
Asvald-acted
Senja-acted
Eva lays into the creature before her, slicing deeply into its peculiarly undifferentiated interior (albeit not as deeply as she would have expected). Which is to say, DR 5/- and amorphous, so not subject to crits.
Giving Kali the option of changing her action, particularly as she can tell the creatures aren't subject to sneak attack damage.
Caustic Stalkers: AC 19 T 19 FF 10
Red: -0 HP Blue: -29 HP Green: -0 HP
Kali narrowly hits one of the creatures, and Eva does a bit more damage due to Torque's divine support.
Torque, you still have to save vs. poison.
Speaking of poison saves, Asvald, DC 22 Fort save or take 1 point CON damage. Eva, DC 22 Fort save or take 2 more points CON damage. Torque, DC 20 Fort save or take 3 points CON damage. Kali, DC 20 Fort save or take another point CON damage.
Round 2 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Enemies-acted
Eva-
Kali
Torque
Asvald
Senja
The green stalker closes with Asvald and hits him once for 3 HP slam damage + 5 HP acid damage; DC 18 Reflex save to keep the creature's acidic substance from continuing to corrode your flesh. The other two focus their attentions on Eva. In an acrid whirlwind, they manage to hit her three times. The monk's inborn fey resistance to blows protects her from much of the impacts (after the prayer spell but before your DR, take 1 HP, 1 HP, and 4 HP), but does little to blunt the corrosive effects of their touches. Take 10 points acid damage, and 3 DC 18 Reflex saves.
Party up!
Dice rolls:
Red delay:1d4 ⇒ 3 Blue delay:1d4 ⇒ 3 Green delay:1d4 ⇒ 4
Kali CON damage:1d4 ⇒ 1 Eva CON damage:1d4 ⇒ 2 Torque CON damage:1d4 ⇒ 3 Asvald CON damage:1d4 ⇒ 1
Red slam Eva, including prayer:1d20 + 15 - 1 ⇒ (12) + 15 - 1 = 26 Red slam Eva, including prayer:1d20 + 15 - 1 ⇒ (19) + 15 - 1 = 33 Blue slam Eva, including prayer:1d20 + 15 - 1 ⇒ (3) + 15 - 1 = 17 Blue slam Eva, including prayer:1d20 + 15 - 1 ⇒ (15) + 15 - 1 = 29
Red slam damage, incl. prayer and acid:1d6 - 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) - 1 + (5) = 6 Red slam damage, incl. prayer and acid:1d6 - 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) - 1 + (2) = 3 Blue slam damage, incl. prayer and acid:1d6 - 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) - 1 + (3) = 7
Green slam Asvald, including prayer:1d20 + 15 - 1 ⇒ (13) + 15 - 1 = 27 Green slam Asvald, including prayer:1d20 + 15 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 15 - 1 = 20
Green slam damage, incl. prayer and acid:1d6 - 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) - 1 + (5) = 8
Caustic Stalkers: AC 19 T 19 FF 10
Red: -13 HP Blue: -34 HP Green: -0 HP
