-81
Immediate action cast Hero’s defiance:
-36
Full retreat out the window and down the tower using slippers.
You wisely retreat out and down the tower. Fish/Frog pokes his head out the window to watch you.
Return to my base and rest.
Maybe there is another way to get to the ziggurat.
Cast Keep Watch for the night.
Return to the tower the next day.
That night while you try to rest you are attacked by an emaciated figure that looks like a horned human skeleton smothered within a bone-tight hide of slimy leather; a foul, caustic looking sludge seeps from its flesh.
It bursts into your shelter unannounced and attacks!
Surprise round:
Next round:
It continues it's onslaught and in a sibilant voice-One highlight of being ssssummoned to thissss plane is the chance to tasssste fresh meat.
-42
Smite evil! Bypass DR!
-15
The hideous creature's desire for fresh meat goes unfulfilled as you hammer crushes the life out of it with two stout blows.
So what time is it now? Time to get up or to get some rest.
Did I recover spells/abilities?
With Keep Watch you are OK and make your way back towards the tower which you find now has some variant of troll moving about outside of the fog. There are at least three that you can see.
Based on the exploring he has done in the tower so far does Ang believe there might be another way to get to the ziggurat or is he pretty sure he will need to go back through the room with Fish/Frog?
The alchemy/machine room appears to be the only way in. There might be a secret entrance at the top, but there is no way to be sure.
Previous description:
"You remember the outside of the top of the tower being an off-whitish color but from inside the walls are completely translucent, and your vision looking out to the city and cavern is as clear as if you were outside on a well lit day."
Any way to circle around and avoid the trolls?
If not, head towards the first troll. Use divine bond to add flaming to hammer.
From what you can see the trolls appear to be patrolling/guarding the tower. Finding no other option you grit your teeth and head towards the troll closest to ramp that leads to the tower.
Your action.
This place just sprouts more monsters overnight.
Attack nearest troll. The last 1d6 is fire damage.
The sound of your hammer crunches satisfyingly into the ugly six foot tall humanoid. With leathery blackish-gray skin and yellow eyes, it has long, upright ears, almost elven in nature. Its arms and legs are long and slender and end in wicked-looking claws.
It lets off a sad and warbly hoot, clearly badly injured from your attack. You can head answering hoots in the distance.
The troll dances past both of your swings, continuing to hoot, and clearly more than a little off-put by the fact that it isn't healing.
DC 20 FORT save or be slowed.
The answering hoots come from much closer than before.
Sigh.
-20
You find the troll frustratingly elusive as it side-steps both of your swings. It hoots as it sees something behind you and an answering hoot resounds as another troll attacks you from the flank!
Wounded troll
Fresh troll, flanking
Any bit hit DC 20 FORT save or be slowed.
-30
You manage to connect with your first swing, ending the wounded troll.
The new troll hoots in fury, a sound that echoes from other nearby troll throats.
-30
You mash the troll with your first swing and miss with your second.
It hoots angrily and continues to attack. Doubtless, other trolls are bound to be arriving soon.
Bite hit requires DC 20 FORT or be slowed.
-37
You seem to have found the knack for slaying trolls and crush the second one down to the ground with little difficulty, the flames from your hammer prevent any chance of them coming back to life.
You hear hooting nearby, but no additional foes are in sight currently.
Move to tower and head up using slippers. Look for previously missed entries.
DC 25 FORT save or be sickened by the fog.
You ascend the awkward tower and as you do you can see a small group of trolls gather by their fallen comrades. They hoot in consternation and set about looking for the whereabouts of the murderer.
The tower has no other apparent openings besides the ones you have already found. You reason that previous inhabitants had no real reason for windows in the dark of the cavern and any of the ones they might have used would be similar to the strange off-whiteish one you saw at the top level of the tower that are indiscernible from the outside.
The 'window' in the alchemy/mechanical room you guess was required for experiments that required fresh air or some such.
You arrive at said window/opening and a quick peek inside reveals the three Cobbles; two look fresh but the third clearly reflects the beating you gave it during your last visit.
Sickened.
Any sign of fish/frog?
Attack closest construct.
Fish/Frog is nowhere to be seen and strangely the chemical stench that was near-nauseating before is now absent from the room as well.
Your hammer mashes into the closest Cobble machine as the other two sputter and spurt towards you.
The Cobble you just damaged releases a cloud of noxious vapors as it attacks:
DC 20 FORT or take ; save negates any damage.
-37
Sickened
-8, no longer sick
You smash the first Cobble down as the remaining two arrive and attack.
Cobble
Poorly repaired Cobble
-31
Finish this quick before frog face shows up.
You smash the poorly repaired Cobble and it collapses billowing out a cloud of noxious vapors. DC 20 FORT negates.
The last remaining Cobble continues its mindless attack.
-63
-29
You destroy the last construct and it releases an odious cloud of acid DC20 FORT negates
That went better than last time, hope that's a sign of things to come.
-1
Move forward to ziggurat.
Healing yourself with the wand, you notice that the chemical fumes that spilled from the destroyed Cobbles appear to matriculate back towards the metal spiral staircase that ascends to the top level. As the last of the gas from the final destroyed Cooble reaches the staircase you feel a violent tug drawing you towards the foot of the stairs. DC 23 REF or be dragged 10' towards the stairs.
Hmmm, what’s this?
You take as you violently tumble towards the stairs.
Make another REF save.
You catch yourself on a large piece of broken furniture and are able to get to your feet. The pull from the stairs is no less insistent, and you know that if you move you will have to make additional REF saves.
How far is it to the stairs? Are these the stairs of the ziggurat or just stairs leading to the level with the ziggurat? Does Ang have any clue about what is happening?
You are about 30' from the stairs and 20' from the windows. The stairs are the metal spiral ones leading to the ziggurat level. Your best guess is there is some type of magnetism at play as only things that are metal seem to be getting pulled.
Does the pull appeared to have gotten stronger as Ang moved closer? Does Ang think he could move to stair and beyond or does he think it would be overwhelming? Anything about that looks like an off switch?
The pull seems consistently strong; no change as he moves closer. Climbing the stair with significant metal would be difficult but not impossible. You see no switch and believe the force is magical in nature, a contingency perhaps should the mechanical guardians be destroyed?
Move forward to climb the stairs.
Make 2 more DX23 REF saves
You stumble and tumble once taking but finally make it to the foot of the stairs.
Go up the stairs.
Give me 3 DC 20 FORT checks to see how you fare against the resistance of the magnetism wrenching at your metal armor and hammer.