<Ryor laughs. He speaks very loudly to everyone.>
"I have a proposition for you all. We open the library, I need Cordoba's help. In return I'll help you kill Book."
<Ryor laughs. He speaks very loudly to everyone.>
"I have a proposition for you all. We open the library, I need Cordoba's help. In return I'll help you kill Book."
I have a return proposition for you, demon. If Ryor's id is damaged by your occupation I will second Cordoba's proposal to end you. We are not ready to open the library as yet, and for a creature who supposedly spent a hugely expanded amount of time imprisoned in a tiny little glass tube in a vault, you are extraordinarily impatient. Ve will enter the library when we decide the rest of the complex is relatively safe for us to do that. Of this 'Book', I am not knowing him or even of him but if my newly acquired friends need assistance in taking him down I would do so in the name of friendship and camaraderie.
It's better to finish checking this floor first.
Jon carefully moves south.
Looking south down the hall you see light breaking into the hall 80 feet south from what must be a room.
Jon turns and walks down the narrow hallway. What begins as a light dusting of sand gradually deepens. Jon bends down and finds the same particles as he did below: bits of metal and bone that look like they’ve been worn for years in the surf, or possibly blasted until smooth by a raging sandstorm.
A few more feet and he comes into a long 20 by 50 foot room with a table carved from a granite slab. Morbidly bent over onto the table are the desiccated bodies of a creature and an armored man, the creature horned, skinless and flayed with a bastard sword thrust into its breastbone and the man with a black metal scimitar in his guts. They seem to have died in battle.
Light streams into the room from the main chamber through the balcony opening you saw below this morning.
Jon and Cordoba move closer to the pair, appraising the immaculately fashioned plate armor emblazoned with the winged eye of Aroden on the chest, a green emerald glowing in the pupil, while on the shoulders are engraved beautiful stylized keyholes with ghastly faces, eyes and talons clawing as if to pull themselves through. Pulsifer mutters the words “Door Keepers”.
Blackened scoring speaks of powerful blows, probably landed by the scimitar wielding creature in his embrace. His cloak is shredded as if in a hurricane, and closer inspection finds bits of gravel embedded in the armor plating and other sections almost worn through by what you guess to have been unimaginably powerful blasts of sand.
Two hands still clutch his sword, one hand cupped tightly over the pommel as if he was thrusting the sword into the monster’s breastbone with all his might and died gripping the blade. Where steel meets the flensed meat of his long dead and dried enemy the flesh is blackened. Cordoba reaches out and feels heat still coming off the holy man’s weapon.
The beast, it seems, had simultaneously driven it’s black reflective blade up into the paladin’s stomach between the plates of his armor. Ever curious about the fashioning of weapons Jon bends closely to the sword and catches a chilling reflected imaged of his own face, yet it isn’t him, the face he sees cries out tortured and weeping.
The beast is flensed. Now dried, the pieces of grit, stone, chunks of metal and bone that tore the flesh from its bones can still be found driven into wounds all over its body. Humanoid - it’s lidless eyes look out from a deformed, elongated face. No pupil, no iris, no white. Just dried jet black orbs above nasal slits and a heavy jaw lined with inch long razor sharp teeth.
Cordoba
Jon
Aref
"Oh f*#k and worms@!t."
<He looks the monster over.>
"To hell with the library. I think we need to go."
"What's the hurry? The fun's just starting." The Deceiver starts scanning the library for anything of note besides what he has seen thus far.
The Araton, or desert devil. Surrounded by a fleshing sand storm - tortured by its own defense yet healing so fast that its punishment never ends - it is said that no man can stand up to this beast in hand to hand combat.... A demon in our friend, and now a devil before us, too. Curious.
"What's the hurry? The fun's just starting." ...
Cordoba
"Bloody.Hell." Syd says quietly.
You're in what appears to be a boardroom, on the left side of the 2nd floor map above:
...a long 20 by 50 foot room with a table carved from a granite slab. Morbidly bent over onto the table are the desiccated bodies of a creature and an armored man, the creature horned, skinless and flayed with a bastard sword thrust into its breastbone and the man with a black metal scimitar in his guts. They seem to have died in battle.
I say we have one of you wit a axe or big blade chop off the devil's head then we can attempt to extricate the sword and examine the holy warrior and the devil in better detail. Perhaps we should make sure by dismembering the devil corpse.
"What's the hurry? The fun's just starting." ...Cordoba** spoiler omitted **
"Chopping? Jon, care to step up to the plate?" The Deceiver point to the corpse.
"Perhaps that would not be such a good idea, all considering."
"let me do that."
Jon moves forward and chops off the devil's head.
It still appears to be dead. I'll keep you apprised if that changes. It's pretty dry, too, I nice solid hit might just snap the head off.
Jon moves forward and chops off the devil's head.
It falls onto the granite slab, spinning for a few moments from the force of the blow. A little bit of dust whiffs up into the air.
Hmmm.....Demon, since you insist on accompanying us what are your thoughts? If we remove the weapon within the Devil's chest will he awaken and if so will he be headless and die again?
"It's that black sword that I worries me. Intelligent: those things. And... ahem... they may have been looking for me."
<Long pause.>
"Don't ask. It's a really long story of greed, envy, and vengeance."
"Worried, are ya?" Syd asks faux-innocently.
"Worried, are ya?" Syd asks faux-innocently.
"Keep it up, half breed. Keep it up." Ryor answers threateningly.
<Looks around.>
"Hey where's the other pigman? You f@&$ers, he snuck off didn't he? Gone to get some help has he?"
<Spits.>
"Your gods can't save you. Can't you see that these fools locked me up because I couldn't be beaten?"
<Looks closely at the paladin on the table.>
"Look what happened to this one, he's one of the fools who trapped me I think. Now he's dead and I'm alive. The same thing is going to happen to all of you."
Aref moves forward and removes the Paladin's sword, handing it to Syd.
"Worried, are ya?" Syd asks faux-innocently."Keep it up, half breed. Keep it up." Ryor answers threateningly.
<Looks around.>
"Hey where's the other pigman? You f%%@ers, he snuck off didn't he? Gone to get some help has he?"
<Spits.>
"Your gods can't save you. Can't you see that these fools locked me up because I couldn't be beaten?"
<Looks closely at the paladin on the table.>
"Look what happened to this one, he's one of the fools who trapped me I think. Now he's dead and I'm alive. The same thing is going to happen to all of you."
Rackham hardens.
"Listen, and listen closely, you slimy f!~+, the gods can save us all. If you want me to prove it, let go of my friend, and then we can settle things personally."
Pulsifer spits on the ground at the demon's feet.
Pulsifer spits on the ground at the demon's feet.
<Eyes locked with Ryor, Pulsifer sees a fire flare as if behind his eyes. The creature begins an arcane recitation that both of the party's mages recognize as casting.... but then the demon stops, perhaps thinking better of it, here.>
"Slimy. Yes. But that barely touches the true horror. TRUE_HORROR!"
<The demon turns and walks to the balcony, looking down on the main chamber.>
"This place is a tomb," he mutters, "there's nothing else in here."
The devil's sword is a black, reflective scimitar. The paladin's sword looks like some kind of flaming bastard sword....
"Jon, you interested in this sword? If not then I'll take it."
Aref moves forward and removes the Paladin's sword, handing it to Syd.
I guess Syd has the bastard sword. So then he has two paladin's swords, both seemingly magic. One greatsword and one bastard sword in addition to his old falchion.
"Jon, you interested in this sword? If not then I'll take it."
Stats for the transmutation longsword are here, Rad.
Damage: 1d10 slashing (+1 damage from magic bonus)
Critical: 19-20 / x2
Weight: 6 lb
"Jon, you interested in this sword? If not then I'll take it."
Two handed weapon is my favorite. I'd like to give you the transforming sword in exchange of the bastard sword.
Jon also takes the scabbard from the paladin's belt. The bastard sword becomes sheathed in flame the moment Jon grips its handle.
Jon
"Whoa! That's so cool!"
The bastard sword becomes sheathed in flame the moment Jon grips its handle.
"Keep that thing away from me, ox."
"Whoa! That's so cool!"
When the longsword changes hands from Jon to Cordoba it shimmers appearing as a dagger and then a mace for an instant, before solidifying again into a longsword.
Search the paladin? The araton is wearing nothing, not even skin...
>>>>>LEVEL 2 MAP<<<<<
>>>>>LEVEL 1 MAP<<<<<
In case anyone missed it, the library is the room behind combination locked doors in the upper left of level 1.