Segang continues raging against the attackers. He hammers his target twice and they surprisingly keep standing. The assassin's shroud of red mist seems to be healing the terrible wounds.
Melianthe then turns him into a newt.
Jarha turns to face the new arrivals, shocking the nearest with a powerful electric arc.
Absinthe tries to stab through the gap in the door but the Mantis parries the attack.
Seren casts a terrifying illusion. The target of his spell jumps back, startled, then writhes in pain. The assassin coughs and spits, but remains alive.
;
The assassins fight on. Out in the hall, the wounded Mantis attacks Segang. In the room, the new arrival slashes at Ahalak.
;
;
;
;
The other two new arrivals run along the edge of the pool, circling to attack from the bridge.
Bleeding, Ahalak defends himself, moving back and firing his bow point-blank. The arrow slams into the assassin's chest armor, knocking him back a space.
;
;
Krojun steps out onto the bridge, earth breaker raised and ready for the oncoming assassins.
The entire ruin rumbles with a terrible tremor, throwing both you and the assassins to the floor.
The black water of the central pool sloshes violently.
And then an immense green-black tentacle snakes up from the water. It smashes the Red Mantis nearest the edge and then wraps around him and starts constricting. The Red Mantis screams in pain and fear.
;
Another tentacle emerges from the water closer to you. It rises up and moves around, as if testing the air.
Segang rids the rocking floor like a gentle mount before stepping back a step and attack his attacker. He calls out Back into the hall Krojun, quickly. to the group.
Jarha stumbles but regains his balance before hitting the floor. He remains confused about the source of the quaking and the new commotion in the hallway outside, but he maintains his focus on the assassin who targeted Ahalak, again taking a move action to gather energy.
He also takes a 5 foot step.
Melianthe targets the two nearest Red Mantis assassins with a Glitterdust spell.
"Seren, did you summon that thing?" she says, floating in the air.
She tries to determine what the tentacly abomination is.
"Straight outta my nightmares, Mel," Seren mumbles, losing character for a moment.
"Screw this tentacle monster b!~%@@#!."
Seren casts shadow invasion and plunges a 30 foot area around her into dimmer light.
Melianthe has no real idea what the tentacles are.
The Red Mantis keep their feet under them through the tremor. Segang takes advantage of the interruption to attack, smashing down the near assassin.
In the illumacore chamber, Melianthe curses the Red Mantis, who recoils in a blind defensive posture. Jarha then blasts him with an electric bolt.
Absinthe closes and takes down the blinded assassin with a mortal strike.
;
Seren darkens the area with his shadow magic.
The Red Mantis in the clutches of the tentacle struggles and fails to get free. His companion turns and runs towards the exit.
Krojun slowly backs away from the tentacle snaking up out of the water. It lashes at him as he moves off the bridge, and the tentacle wraps around his leg before he can pull away. Krojun roars with fury but his eyes are clearly alarmed.
;
A third tentacle pokes up from the black water.
Seren will stand and cast shadow evocation, calling forth a greater shadow ball on to the tentacle that has Kroju.
; Will save Dc23 to disbelieve (40% damage), Reflex Save DC23 to negate.
"Knock the Mantis' into the pool and let's get out of here! That thing is probably immune to all sorts of attacks--I have no idea what it is!" shouts Melianthe.
She flies to the other side of the chamber and, hoping the creature has a mind, attempts to hex it.
Jarha fires a telekinetic blast at the tentacle holding Krojun and then moves.
Segang bellows I will not leave Krojun in that things grip! He will spend a move action to put away has hammer, and pulling his scythe attack.
Melianthe's hex has no apparent effect on the thing.
Segang swaps to the scythe and cuts into the tentacle with a powerful attack. The tough, rubbery thing keeps its hold on Krojun.
At least, until Jarha hits the wound with a blinding lighting blast, blowing the tentacle apart. Krojun kicks the remains back into the sloshing water with a disgusted grunt.
Jarha cuts through the viewing gallery. Inside, he finds the remains of the Red Mantis's battle with the Sklar-Quah. Krojun's companions are all dead, except for one sitting beside the western entrance. The man is bleeding from several cuts, and is conscious but in a dazed state.
"Umm... right!" Absinthe hesitates for a moment, then runs after Melianthe.
Target nearest Rwd Mantis instead
"Everyone, get out of that chamber! Krojun! We have to leave!" shouts Melianthe, and starts working on an incantation.
Jarha takes a double move towards the exit.
Jarha takes a double move towards the exit.
Jarha cuts through the viewing gallery. Inside, he finds the remains of the Red Mantis's battle with the Sklar-Quah. Krojun's companions are all dead, except for one sitting beside the western entrance. The man is bleeding from several cuts, and is conscious but in a dazed state.
Jarha moves into the viewing gallery and see the evidence of the slaughter, and a single survivor. Jarha moves to him and places his hands to hover above his wounds heals him telekinetically, taking the 8 nonlethal damage himself.
in common: [b]"That should make you feel a lot better. Let's get you out of here. There's some kind of strange tentacled creature attacking us."[/ooc]
Seren sends his shadow ball after the Red Mantis in the clutches of the tentacle. The grappled assassin writhes in pain as the cold rips through his body. The ball has no visible effect on the tentacle.
In the viewing gallery, Jarha holds up his retreat to heal the fallen Sklar-Quah warrior. The telekinetic healing staunches the man's bleeding, and he nods in thanks. The warrior winces as he gets to his feet and follows Jarha out.
Hargev shouts in Shoanti to his fellow Boneslayers and they hurry towards the stairs. Krojun sizes up the situation and then follows the others towards the exit.
The Red Mantis screams as the tentacle slowly crushes him and pulls him down into the black water.
Two more tentacles sprout up from the water.
One lashes at Segang, hitting him hard but fails to wrap him up.
;
Melianthe screws up her face in concentration, casting her summons.
Jarha turns invisible (standard action) and moves towards the exit.
Seeing no benefit to continued fighting Segang shifts his rage bonus to Dexterity and withdraws.
Melianthe finishes her summoning as the rest of you run for the exit. You quickly outpace the grasping tentacles as they snake up out of the water. The poor summoned mephit provides a moment's distraction; it dives and dodges for a few seconds but the tentacles converge and the end is inevitable.
The ground gives another heavy tremor as you reach the bright sunlight. You put a goodly distance between yourselves and the entrance to the acropolis. No tentacles follow you out into daylight. The tremors rumble for several more minutes before finally settling down.
Krojun snarls at the acropolis, makes a Shoanti oath and spits into the sand. He helps his Sklar-Quah clanmate move to a comfortable spot, then comes over and stands before you. He speaks to you in Taldane, clearly not pleased with the sour taste of the foreign tongue. "I thank you, tshamek. For the life of my kinsman. And mine."
Segang answers Of course. Its was my honor and duty.
... but the tentacles converge and the end is inevitable.
Any sense whether the tentacles would be able to "see" an invisible Jarha? His invisibility also dampens sound so it avoids automatic detection via sound-based blindsense and blindsight...
Any sense whether the tentacles would be able to "see" an invisible Jarha?
Jarha can certainly drag out any bodies he can see using telekinetic haul. He will have his wand of reduce person handy in case he decides to use it. He will turn invisible and stealth in a short distance to see what he can see, but well out of reach of the tentacles. He can't automatically be detected by blindsense or blindsight.
After the tremors subside, Jarha turns invisible and moves back in quietly. The great hall is still and silent, with no sign of the tentacles. The black water in the pool ripples slightly, as if from a light zephyr.
The bodies are all gone. All that remains of your attackers and the murdered Shoanti are scuffs in the dust and bloody splotches.
Jarha re-emerges and reports the grim news to his companions.
Melianthe bows to Krojun. "We are sorry for your losses. The Red Mantis are cowards that we have faced before. Have you seen them here in the past?"
Seren nods at Mel's sympathy to Krojun, "We need to get out of this gods-forsaken place. What's our next challenge?"
Krojun stands tall and lifts his chin proudly. "Do not bow, tshamkek. I am not master," he says in broken Taldane. He grimaces and continues in Shoanti.
"We have not encountered these Red Mantis in our lands, but I have heard stories of them... a demon-worshiping assassin cult. You have earned the enmity of some powerful patron. Your presence brought the assassins to our land. The lives of my men is your responsibility. A debt is owed." He pauses, looking over the barren landscape.
"However, you have proven capable and honorable. You earned the Thrallkeepers' Mark, and rescued my man from a certain death. Even as enemies of the Sklar-Quah, you have shown to understand our values. I name you narlharest."
"We hope to earn more of your trust, Krojun, and to show that we are not your enemies at all," says Melianthe. "...even if that means changing Korvosa dramatically," she says, more to herself.
"We have two more tasks, don't we?"
"The Cindermaw's hunting grounds aren't too far away. Who knows the legend?"
Seren looks around at the others.
"Maybe, but in the meantime, I can tell you 'you look like a poisonous dog' in Shoanti," says Melianthe. "Not that you look like a poisonous dog, Seren; you look lovely. After this Cindermaw business, perhaps we could take a rest in the House of the Moon and meet this Truthspeaker."
She crosses her arms "I like the moon; far better than this ridiculous constant burning sunlight."
"Oh right! The Shoanti hero who leapt into the maw of Cindermaw, the clan-killer. Well, that's right up Jarha's or Segang's alley. I'm rather squishy and digestible unlike these bony, gristly menfolk."
She ponders. "How do we replicate this? Cindermaw is still a living beast? Or is it a metaphor for something else?"
"I'm tougher than I look, but that just means I can take a lot of punishment. Jumping into the maw of beast and cutting your way out sounds a bit more like Segang. I'm not sure how my powers would work inside the belly of a creature."
Krojun and his surviving clan mate depart to collect their horses.
Hargev watches the Shoanti champion leave then turns to you speak. "The Cindermaw lives. As much as anything demonic has life. Its feeding grounds are indeed close by: a region in the extreme west portion of the Ash-Blown Lands. It is said that the cindercones and other volcanic activity common in this area soothe the beast’s troubled spirit."
"Needless to say, it is a very dangerous place."