The gold elf's stoic demeanor stays statuesque, as the others discuss traversing the sewers for their next mission.
He looks to the two arcane casters.
May I request that one of you fine ladies mesmerize Prestidigitation for this but most noble of quest? Helm thanks you!
After the party's purchases had been made, the priest walked back to their inn in good spirits, though tired after the long day's work combined with the anxiety and stress of the situation with their captives from the Second Story Gang. The fate of Natalia and the other rested heavily on the Dawnbringer's shoulders, though he perhaps foolishly remained optimistic about their fate. Phlan itself had been given an opportunity to begin anew, so why not its people, after all? It seemed as though the likely corrupt Cadorna was gaining influence in the area, but as long as decent people like Braccio and Von Urslingen were around, there was hope for New Phlan. Zane ate with the others, but retired early to his room, and was quickly asleep.
As he had since he had entered the Morninglord's service, he arose before dawn, getting out of bed and stretching before dressing and going downstairs and out the door. The sky was still dark, though the first lighter hues of purple to the east foreshadowed the sunrise that was not far off. Getting out of the main thoroughfare, Zane knelt by the inn, facing east and saying his morning prayers as he welcomed a new sunrise, a new beginning. Only after the sun had crested the horizon and was fully on display did he rise and reenter the establishment to find his companions, a smile on his face.
As the others spoke of getting a map from Braccio, Zane nodded his agreement. "A map would be helpful for navigating the sewers, I agree. Let us speak to Braccio and see if he can procure these maps from the archives he mentioned and then be off. Bane's followers are zealots, but are well-organized compared to the usual riff-raff out there. They likely will provide a stiffer test than the Maskites. I'd rather be done before darkness fell..."
Ser, I don't prepare different spells each day... I always know that one. But you are totally right, we are going to need that one a lot in that smelly, smelly place.
The gold elf winks at Azarra.
When asked about a map Braccio smiles to himself, "I had a feeling you might need one. I fetched one from the archives last night, here take a look." He pulls out a large chart, the draftsmanship is outstanding although the vellum is yellowed with age. "We're here." he points to an area near the eastern end of town, "Over here is the the Temple of Bane. As you can see the tunnels all seem to avoid it. Pretty sure this isn't accurate! My best guess is there's a hidden entrance somewhere down this spur here, which you can now from the courtyard in front of the Kovel mansion."
After meeting Bishop Braccio you steeled yourselves for the settlement with Morven. This proved to be as wearing as they where exacting, he insisted on every last clipped copper being accounted for. Despite the bad taste left from dealing with the odious man, everyone's pockets where full of cash and you'd descended upon Phlan's vendors en mass. After an afternoon of hardcore retail therapy the party turn in early.
Next morning you awoke before dawn and prepared yourself for the assault on the Temple of Bane. Before most ordinary folk had roused themselves from their beds you had slipped into the courtyard in front of the Koval Mansion and lifted up grate and descended into the storm drain below. You where immediately impressed by the sewer brickwork. It had been constructed hundreds of years ago with the same care as a cathedral. There was barely room to place a dagger between each brick, so tightly had they been packed.
All things considered the drains where a good deal cleaner and considerably less smelly and than you might have expected...
Blue eyes easily adjusting to the dim light, the gold elf leads the way, although he allows their trap spotters room to work.
"Well, I hope they don't use living creatures to keep this clean. We should keep our eyes open."
When the group descended into the sewers, unless anyone objected Zane removed a small stone from his pack and released it. The stone lit up and began to slowly revolve around the priest's head, lighting the immediate area with a steady glow. He nodded his agreement with Ishta's assessment, sympathetic to the plight of anything that might be forced to reckon with the waste of even a small city like New Phlan.
Before the group started in earnest, Zane said a brief prayer to the Morninglord much as he had the previous day. After a moment, Ser Armithia's platinum ring and Zane's shone with twin lights before fading back to normal. The cleric smiled briefly at the paladin before gesturing for him to lead the way, the priest keeping his keen eyes open for the secret passageway that Braccio surmised existed.
Azarra grins at Zane as she takes an almost identical stone from her pack and it started rotating around her head, also shedding light.
I hear nothing besides distant dripping and our own party. It is strange that there wouldn't be anything else down here...
The party cautiously head onwards, the way illuminated by the tiny stone orbiting Zane's head!
The passage through the storm drains is mostly uneventful, until Azarra notices movement ahead. She saw what looked like a floating skeleton approaching! Something was weird about it however, the floor and walls around it seemed to frost over and there was an unexplained reflection from Zane's Ioun Stone!
Ishta Khosiv <----- WE ARE HERE
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren
Spoiler:Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2300 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2300 rounds)
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2299 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2299 rounds)
Ishta Khosiv, Kardas Rasalas, Zane Levallis and Azarra are up.
Frost Cube! Don't use fire. It has a slime that can put you to sleep, and you'll freeze if you get close to it.
Use cold attacks if you have them, but absolutely no fire. That would heal it!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Thankfully, Azarra got quick on it. Ishta's arsenal is full of fire spells and she could have messed it all up. She begins by casting something more appropiate.
Ishta's ray lanced into the cube, causing part of it to shrivel. She didn't even have to aim terribly hard, the huge ooze was the broad side of the barn!
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas <----- WE ARE HERE
Zane Levallis
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren
Spoiler:Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2300 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2300 rounds)
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2299 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2299 rounds)
Kardas Rasalas, Zane Levallis and Azarra are up.
Ser Armithia stares down the menace. The paladin looks as if he is preparing to confront it.
Praise Helm for watching ahead against this threat!
The confidence from the gold elf is as bright as his auras!
Zane listened to the hasty warning from Azarra, nodding his understanding before he stepped up beside Ser Armithia to face the threat coming toward them. The priest understood that getting close would be detrimental, but he didn't see a way around it beyond retreat. The cleric readied his shield and weapon, calmly waiting for the enemies to close.
Azarra murmurs worriedly You guys are tough, but that thing can freaking swallow you. Be careful!
She moves up a little to get into shortbow range, and shoots at the oncoming cube.
Kardas orders his familiar to back off and stay out of combat and then readies his sword. "You sure we want to stand and fight?" The Raumathar would much prefer to retreat, blast it and repeat until either the cubes give up or are slain.
Kardas perhaps wisely deems hand to hand combat with a Frost Cube as being fool hardy. He prepares to retreat should it come closer!
Zane however stands his ground, mace int hand, ready to attack if it draws near...
Azarra moves forwards and shoots with her bow, she could hardly miss. The arrow passes most of the way through the cube, leaving a deep wound channel!
Slowly. Inexorably. The Frozen Cubes inch towards the party, the walls and floors riming with frost as they do so.
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren <----- WE ARE HERE
Spoiler:Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2300 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2300 rounds)
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2299 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2299 rounds)
Ser Armithia-Seendren, Ishta Khosiv, Kardas Rasalas, Zane Levallis and Azarra are up.
Ser Armithia studies the slow movements of the cubes.
We may be able to rush past them, if we can lure them both this side of the of the tunnel.
We have to kill them. Whatever strategy you prefer, but I don't think we can just avoid them.
Seeing another cube coming around the corner and bearing down on them, Azarra steps back and shoots again, this time at the closer target (red). She plans to keep shooting and retreating, but wishes that the others had ranged weapons as well.
Ishta agrees with the shoot and run strategy, though she's surprised to see another cube coming from the north alley. "Let's try to kill them; if we avoid them, we could have to deal with them when we come back, wounded and tired."
"Fine," grunts the swordmage. Ishta then hears the gnarly man sigh and, as he does, tendrils of frost run up and down his blade. Auril's breath is aching to be unleashed.
Ser Armithia looks a bit concerned for the magus.
The paladin casts Resist Energy Cold on Kardas.
Having contemplated Kardas's words advising retreat, Zane is surprised to find the Rashemi man bull past him after the others announced their intent to stand and fight. The priest's eyes widened at the display of martial and arcane power combined, but he shook his head and stepped toward the ooze-thing approaching from the north to try to smack at the thing, hoping to bring it down before its friend could join in the fun.
Ser Armithia invokes the power of helm, and a mantle of warmth descends upon Kardas!
Ishta sends another pencil thin beam of utter cold slicing into the giant ooze. Bits of it frost over and die off where it struck.
Warmed by Ser Armithia's blessing, Kardas casts a spell summoning utter cold from the spine of the world. He steps forward to braves the waves of cold emanating from the giant Frost Cube and find himself entirely unaffected. The ooze however was terribly wounded as his sword cut though it as if it was nothing.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Kardas, Zane took the full brunt of the sub-zero temperature as the ooze leeched away his body heat. He still managed to smash his mace through the things gelatinous body although.
Azarra's arrow leaped through the air cutting a channel through the ooze.
The injured ooze suddenly sprouts a pseudo-pod with which it attempts to smash into the nearest prey: Zane. The things aim was poor however and it missed him by several feet.
<--- Miss
The other ooze glides ever closer!
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren <----- WE ARE HERE
Spoiler:Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas Resist Energy: Cold (100 rounds)
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2299 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2299 rounds)
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas Resist Energy: Cold (99 rounds)
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2298 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2298 rounds)
Ser Armithia-Seendren, Ishta Khosiv, Kardas Rasalas, Zane Levallis and Azarra are up.
Steel resolve fueling his movements, the knight steps up to join his friends; hoping to eliminate the Red Cube.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ishta walks a bit forward to reach the cube, since hitting the other one would be more difficult due to all her companions trying to finish it in melee.
Azarra shoots again at the red cube.
The Raumathar sucks in the cold and uses it to steel his resolve. Two hands wrap around the sword's grip and, with a yell, he swings it at the mindless cube.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ser Armithia braves the numbing cold, and stands shoulder to shoulder with his comrades! He swings his over-sized sword and slices through the ooze!
Ishta casts her spell, and even though she was embarrassed by her aim -she was till able to hit the ungainly creature! Bits of it's bulk turned opalescent and died where the ray hit it.
Kardas slices his sword through the heavily damaged Ooze, and it quivers once before slowly starting to disintegrate!
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis <----- WE ARE HERE
Azarra Action posted
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren
Spoiler:Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas Resist Energy: Cold (99 rounds)
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2298 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2298 rounds)
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas Resist Energy: Cold (98 rounds)
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2297 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2297 rounds)
Zane Levallis is up.
Teeth chattering a bit from the cold that had emanated from the disgusting conglomeration of matter, Zane stepped up beside Ser Armithia and gave the gold elf a weary glance before he readied for the inevitable attack by the other creature slowly making its way towards the group.
Zane waits for the inevitable and he starts to freeze as does so!
Azarra puts another arrow through the cube, such was the force it popped out the other side to clatter on the stone floor!
Suddenly the wall of freezing ooze is close enough to touch and Zane's mace gouges out a great chunk!
A pseduopod of ooze thrusts out, but Zane was ready and he simply danced aside. The ponderous monster was badly damaged and surely wasn't long for this world.
<--- MISS
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas
Zane Levallis
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren <----- WE ARE HERE
Spoiler:Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas Resist Energy: Cold (99 rounds)
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2298 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2298 rounds)
Ishta Khosiv
Kardas Rasalas Resist Energy: Cold (98 rounds)
Zane Levallis Shield Other (2297 rounds)
Azarra
Gel Cubes
Ser Armithia-Seendren Shield Other (2297 rounds)
Ser Armithia-Seendren, Ishta Khosiv, Kardas Rasalas, Zane Levallis and Azarra are up.
The swordmage moves up and joins Zane in his struggle against the remaining cube. Unsure what the shambling goo is going to do, Kardas leans back and forth between offense and defense.
Zane's teeth start snapping together strongly enough to elicit an audible noise over the sound of combat, but the Dawnbringer remained steadfast, gaining faith as the Rashemi stepped up beside him to combat the gargantuan creature. He gathered his strength, then smacked at the beast again with his mace. The cold had started to creep over his limbs, though, and his strike was slow and cumbersome.
Steel resolve fueling his movements, the knight steps up to join his friends; hoping to eliminate the Blue Cube.
move next to Zane.
Azarra shoots at the blue cube.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
With the cube drawing closer, Ishta takes a step back and keeps firing ice blasts in the hopes of taking it down quickly.
Ser Armithia's sword lops off a great chunk of icy ooze. Azarra manages to fumble her shot with the arrow incorrectly nocked, which clatters to the floor when she looses. Kardas on the other hand managed to put a yard long arrow right through the ooze's center of mass. Evidently this was the straw that broke the camel's back, for the ooze quivered before slowly disintegrating!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Are you guys ok?"
Ishta checks her teammates but takes a second to have some words with Azarra.
"Thank you. Your warning about fire was key, since most of the spells I took today have to do with it. You did a superb job."
Kardas turns around and nods at Ishta. The man's heavy voice rumbles like a mountain when he grunts his answer, "Sure am. Now, don't mind if I do ..."
The swordmage then bends on down and acquires some of the goo's fluids, carefully collecting a viscous sample and then a more watery one.
Ser Armithia stands still as the Oozes melt to puddles of goo.
He watches out for more as they regroup.