"To the moon, then. Mara, can your spells protect us against the dragon's acid breath? I don't know what else we will find in the prison, but we do know about the dragon and should prepare for it."
”I got my own acid protection taken care of. Seemed to work pretty well last time, eh?”
Mara replied to Dervak, "Yes, I can provide some protection. I'll memorize some on the way."
She prepared herself to ask the shantak for another favor, praying for the spirits to smile upon her.
She asked the great beast, "O glorious shantak, could we trouble you for another ride to the moon? We have some unfinished business there.
Theophilus smiles at the shantak.
It looks at the hatter and Mara excitedly, "I have been to the moon! Did you want to go back?! Hop on!" The return trip to the moon takes another 10 hours and the shantak "sings" as the Dreamlands disappear below you.
Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
'Neath the cover of October skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush
Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love
Can I just make some more romance with you, my love
When you arrive at the empty landing paddock the shantak proclaims, "Here we are!" And it promptly falls asleep.
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Kat kicks back and enjoys the shantak’s jazzy taste in music.
"Mara or Theophilus, can either of you prepare Clairvoyance?"
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Mara replied to Dervak, "I can prepare Clairvoyance. Who needs acid protection?
"I wonder if the shifting door mechanism will be ruined from the dragon's acid? We might have an issue getting back out!"
She recited a prayer to help restore Theo's psyche, then tried to get some sleep on the way, so she could memorize new spells.
1st lvl (5): Ant Haul, Cure Light Wounds, Liberating Command, Protection from Evil, Remove Fear
2nd lvl (4): Barkskin, Calm Emotions, Resist Energy x2
3rd lvl (4): Heroism x2, Clairvoyance, Dispel Magic
4th lvl (3): Protection from Energy, Threefold Aspect, Slowing Mud
Theophilus graciously accepts Mara's preparations.
I feel better already!
The Witch preforms his own spell buffs.
Dervak doesn't cast any spells at this time. He waits for the results of Mara's scrying.
"If the mechanism is ruined and we might have an issue getting back out, then I think Theophilus should prepare multiple Dimension Door spells.
Or, we could try using brute force and patience to break through a wall. Should be possible given enough time and strength.
Or, we have Mara's ability to walk through walls a bit, and the scroll of Blink."
Theophilus seems to have switched his grand top hat for an even grander Train Conductor cap!
Mara conferred with her team-mates, "When I walked through the wall when we fought the dragon, I came out the other side on the roof. If we climb to the same spot, I should be able to determine the correct distance and direction to teleport back inside from there."
When the group arrived at the prison, Mara led them around to the side of the building closest to where she walked out through the wall. She read her fly scroll and flew up to the top, and lowered down a rope.
Once everyone had successfully joined her, she took a minute to orient herself, and then started the ritual to create the magical sensor, trying to place it in the center of the torture chamber where they had encountered the dragon.
When Mara peers into the torture chamber she sees that it has largely been cleaned up since their encounter with the dragon. Except for where the dragon breathed which still show signs of damage. The dragon is nowhere in sight but single remaining animate torture device remains.
Mara told the others what she could see. "I don't see any sign of the dragon. Mind you, we can't rule out the possibility that we've been detected; it could be invisible and lying in wait. Dervak, do you want me to protect you against acid now, or wait until later? The protection will very good, but only lasts a few minutes."
After describing to Theo the direction and distance to teleport in, she recited a prayer to ward Dervak against evil.
”Good thing I prepare an extract to let me see invisible stuff then, eh? I’ll drink her up and play spotter for ya.”
Theophilus blinks.
I have it cast already. Ready?
"I'll take that protection now, Mara. Hopefully we can find the beast within a few minutes."
Dervak also casts Long Arm, and Cat's Grace and uses a charge of Shield from his wand. Doesn't last as long as casting it, but he has a lot of charges and very few spell slots.
Theo teleports the first strike team into the torture chamber. The only animate iron maiden to remain pivots to face the group and its door hangs open dumbly. Those that can see invisibility see nothing invisible.
Mara used the Bracelet of Friends to summon the remaining party member.
Theophilus stares nervously around, as he cast Guidance on Kat.
Dervak appears and, not seeing anything other than the Iron Maiden, tries to destroy it.
He rages, uses Barroom Brawler to pick up Dodge, and swings the Furious Falchion.
Kat bounces the butt of her spear off the ground, studies the remaining torture device quickly, then drives her spear right into it before stepping aside.
The iron maiden now lies in a heap, no better than scrap metal.
Nervously looking around still, the Witch begins to whistle.
We're fine!
"Try summoning something, Theo! Or else let's keep moving."
Theophilus grins at Dervak.
I may have traded those out...
"Ah..."
The party doesn't hear, see, or smell a dragon lurking in the shadows. But they're reasonably sure they can't necessarily trust their senses.
Mara concentrated, causing her form to waver. Then she walked to the far end of the room, to get a better sense of what was in this chamber.
The western wall of the room is dominated by a large apparatus with conical brass horns, fluted pipes piercing the ceiling, and oily tubes snaking from the apparatus to each of the torture devices. An odd, low wailing emanates from the machine like a faraway scream.
Theophilus begins working on the door. He takes a firecracker, lights it and tosses it under the door.
He places a finger in each ear.
The White Rabbit face palms himself...again! He points to the West.
Dervak moves to the East door and uses Total Defense. Next round he can open the door and still have a standard action available.
Kat moves down to the southern door and sniffs.
Kat doesn't smell the dragon but she does smell someone else, Count Haserton Pragmus Lowls IV, or more likely his dream splinter, The Yellow King. Kat knows the person they've come to rescue is near.
Dervak uses a move action to open the East door; what he does next with his standard action depends on what he sees.
Dervak finds a large dragon waiting behind the door. Like before she has cast mirror image and four images shimmer and weave in and out of the real dragon making it impossible to tell which ones are illusory.
Inside the room Dervak can see tools and scrap metal litter the floor. It appears someone has been taking apart and attempting to repair the mechanism that operates the sliding room. They haven't made much progress it seems.
Theophilus moves nonchalantly along the wall 30' closer toward Dervak. He then grants him a Fortune Hex.
Dervak attacks, fighting defensively and using Destined Strike.
Mara heard a commotion at the other end of the room. She started back, only to see Dervak in combat with the dragon! Waiting until Kat was withing 30ft of Dervak and Theo, she concentrated, speeding up the flow of time for her allies.
Kat hears the sound of battle at the eastern door and rushes back over, taking a moment to study the dragon.
Dervak draws his scimitar across an illusory dragon dispelling one image.