[ooc]Now if you can get someone to agree that they open the door after you check for traps we'll be getting somewhere! I don't want to assume you do or don't, the one door that ends up trapped and no one bothered to check will come back and bite us (ok, well you more than me...).
Assuming you open this door after clearing it as well...
The door opens into what was once a spiral staircase ascending, perphaps all the way to the surface, but in time past the ceiling caved in and the stairs are blocked by huge amounts of stone, earth, and rubble. There is not light or air penetrating the mass as far as you can tell. Even Rogar estimates it'd take a dwarven mining crew a week to clear this path.
There is no other means of egress here, so it's a bit of a dead end. Where to next?
Rogar curses and spits.
"Vell let us turn back toward the room vith the Statue."
Employing the vaunted "go left" strategy, the group turns around, disappointed by the dead end, and goes back through the pool room, down the stairs and into the statue room featuring the menacing looking woman.
At the first chance to go left, they head out the southern entrance of this room, then get to turn left again immediately, into a hallway that parallels the one they were just in. This new passage runs east for about 100' then the tunnel widens here into what appears to have once been a small shrine, for the northeast, steps lead up to a platform of grey stone. Sitting atop the platform is an ancient altar, little more than a jagged block of black marble with a shallow concavity on top of it. The basin is filled with what appears to be filthy water.
Again as you enter, glowing spiky runes appear, scribbled on the walls all around the chamber, but as you try to get close enough to read the strange characters, they fade away as if never there.
With his sword slung over his shoulder, Smoke squints to see the glowing runes. "Always a good omen. Shy runes. Common problem in older temples."
He pauses, eyeing the door.
"Anyone else have a bad feeling about this?"
You know, something about those runes, ... can't quite place it. Its likely fine to do that Robin.
The double doors to the southeast do not appear to be trapped or locked to Robin.
The water in the basin appears filthy and smells foul as you get close. Using a polishing rag to sop it up, Robin dries out the concavity and refills it with the pure water from the pool room. Within a few seconds the pure water starts to be tainted and beings to grow filthy.
[ooc]Robin - What do you do with the wet rag? Cadas the roll is supposed to hard, unusual to achieve.
As you watch the pure water is corrupted, and by the time a few minutes has passed, the shallow basin is just as foul as it was when you entered.
The water does not affect the wall or bring back the writing in any way. Robin feels dirty where the water touched him, but no other effect is known.
At the signal from Robin that is experimenting is done, Rogar opens the double doors leading into the next chamber.
This huge room looks like nothing more than an immense underground cathedral. Stone doors stand to either side of the main entrance, but beyond this, the walls are carved with strange, spiky runes. In the center of the room is a large pool, with a ring of polished human skulls balanced on stone spikes arranged in a circle around the deeper midsection. At the far end of the room, a piar of stoen stairways leads up to a pulpit on which sits a second pool, this one triangular and filled with a churning, bubbling water that looks almost like translucent lava. Yet while wisps of what look like heat and steam rise from the strange orange liquid, the room itself is deathly cold.
Atop the pulpit, floating above the orange pool, and whirling to see who is entering is a tiny 2' tall winged figure with curling rams horns atop her head. She is clad all in a black gown and a jeweled tiara is on her head.(See pic).
Shrieking, at you in rage, the tiny creature screams: "How dare you intrude on the Mother's sanctum." and she then slashes her wrist with her dagger, allowing her blood to fall into the orange liquid below her. The pool's glow brightens momentarily, then dims to less than before, as one of the strange aberrant creatures you encountered earlier. Another of those strange creatures begins lumbering down the stairs in your direction.
good guys
Bad Guys
Cathedral - Round 1
21 Tinuviel
15 Smoke
15 Cadas
14 Rogar
13 Robin
13 Red Monster
11 Tiny Creature
7 Green Monster
Boo, what is it?
"Quasits are vulnerable to good, magic and cold iron. I have none of those. Drat."
Boo hurls an acid dart at the foul creature (the chatty one).
for damage
"Casters, focus you spells on the Quasit, Bull take the beast on our right I'll deal with the one on our left."
Rogar then moves toward the left stairs, drawing a Javelin as he approaches and at 20 feet throws at the strange beast.
miss.
Cathedral- Round 1 - continued
Tinuviel throws an acidic dart at the tiny demon, and it splashes on her, but the expected scream and sizzle never happens.
Even though underground, Cadas calls on her patron god's might and a stormcloud bursts through the room centering on the quasit. The demon is buffeted by winds and hailstones and takes minor damage, but her ability to attack is impaired.
Finally, Rogar throws his javelin at the descending monstrosity to the left. The projectile misses and clatters to the floor.
Smoke quickly moves forward and up the stairs in front of him, swinging his sword at the descending monster. "Got it!"
Cathedral - round 1 -concluded
The barbarian Smoke bounds up the stairs with Cadas crossing the room as best she can after him. The young warrior strikes the monstrous thing in front of him a might blow, but the ravening monster still stands, lunging forward to bite and claw him. One claw scratches the youth on the neck (3 hp, I have you at 18/27 after), but he avoids the others.
Meanwhile, the Robin advances to the foot of the stairs, dragging out his whip, and starting his smart mouth in the ancestry of the assembled enemies.
Green Monster lumbers out of the pool and stands at the top of the stairs, roaring fiercely at Rogar
The flying quasit, meanwhile, disappears.
End of round 1
Cathedral - round 2
With the light from the pulpit dimmed, the creatures battle the heroes at the top of the stairs on both sides fo the room. Meanwhile, the little quasit has disappeared, for good?
21 Tinuviel
15 Smoke
15 Cadas
14 Rogar
13 Robin
13 Red Monster (wounded)
11 Tiny Creature (disappeared)
7 Green Monster
Rogar draws another javelin and throws again at the beast at the top of the stairs.
Smoke pushes past the anger, and lets determination fill him instead. Once more, the shadow klar forms behind him as he strikes forward. "Ancestors, give me strength," he mutters.
They probably give him a lot of strength-- he slams into the monster with hurricane force.
Tinuviel moves to where she can see better.
She throws an acid dart at mean Mr Green.
for damage
Cadas moves up and tries a second Storm Burst, this time at Green.
Cathedral Round 2 - concluded
The elf wizard tosses another acid dart, but this one splashes against the skin of Green Monster burning him and causing an inhuman screech of pain.
Also screeching in pain is Red Monster as Smoke rages and his ancestral spirit appears egging him on to greater feats. With a mighty swing, both the greatsword and the klar rend the monster, slicing it in twain.
Cadas another micro-burst, but this one does not affect Green who is targeted as well by Rogar's javelin and Robin's whip. The javelin throw up the stairs is true and strikes the creature as it avoids the tripping whip tail.
With a babble of arcane words, the quasit reappears about 20' in the air near the doors. She gestures in an obvious casting motion and points at Smoke.
Much the worse for wear, Green Monster takes a pace forward and moves to rend and bite the javelin throwing dwarf, but between his armor, shield and skill, Rogar avoids all the attacks.
End of Round 2
Cathedral - Round 3
As the flying quasit reappears casting spells, one of her minions is carved up and the other is quite wounded. Will the party be able to hit and hurt her? We'll see coming up.
21 Tinuviel
15 Smoke (needs DC 14 Will sAve or paralyzed)(raging)
15 Cadas
14 Rogar
13 Robin (bard performance active)
11 Quasit
7 Green Monster (wounded)
Encouraged by an actual success, Tinuviel hurls another acid dart at Mr. Green.
for damage
Rogar swings back at the creature with his shield.
If that hits
Smoke turns and shakes his head like a surprised cattle. With a scowl, he leaps down the staircase and charges the quasit, but has no success landing a strike in his focused flurry.
Cadas moves over to the other creature attacking Rogar and tries to stab it with her trident.
Cathedral - Round 3
The elf wizard throws another dart at mean Green but the magical projectile does not strike the monstrosity.
Smoke shakes off the effects of the quasit's spell attempt and charges at her, but her position 20' off the ground makes striking her impossible for him even as his rage burns and the ghostly klar follows him.
The priestess of nature, appalled at these abominations, tries to skewer the nearest with her trident, but attacking from below on the steps proves tricky and her lunge is ineffective, but must distract the creature who takes a face-full of Rogar's shield, stinging it, as it turns to bite and rend at Rogar. Sucessfully, dodging the bite and one claw, the dwarven ranger is hit by the second claw for 4 hp.
Robin ends his satirical comments, and instead tries the tack of magic on the quasit throwing Hideous Laughter her way, but the magical creature is willful enough to shrug off the effects of the spell. She counters by screaming a mighty cry that instills fear in anyone within 30' (all of you).
Smoke, eyes wide, screams in terror and continues to run out the room and down the tunnels.
Tinuviel blanches, staggers, then runs after the sturdy barbarian type.
"Aiieeeeeee!"
rofl copter.
Rogar begins to flee as well
Cathedral Round 4
21 Tinuviel (frightened)
15 Smoke (frightened)(raging)
15 Cadas (shaken).
14 Rogar (frightened)
13 Robin (frightened)
11 Quasit
7 Green Monster (wounded 16 hp)
As the rest of the heroes turn to run frightened by the aura emanating from the demon quasit, Cadas bravely stands her ground, calling on her inner reserves to quell her fear.
Cadas tries to stab at the creature threatening Rogar.
Cathedral - round 4 - concluded
Brave Cadas stands alone, attacking at Green , but failing to hit him.
As Rogar runs away, Green swings at him with clawed hands trying to end the dwarf's fear-induced evacuation but the flailing beast is too slowed by his own wounds to hit the dwarf.
Meanwhile the fear-inducing quasit, flies back towards the orange glowing pool, as she passes the remaining hero, she throws her tiny dagger at Cadas, but the blade bounces off her shield.
Green Monster slashes at Cadas with its rending claws but again she avoids any damage.
End of Round 4
Cathedral - Round 5
21 Tinuviel
15 Smoke (raging)
15 Cadas
14 Rogar
13 Robin
11 Quasit
7 Green Monster (wounded 16 hp)