Theophilus insists that Jerry cheated while playing cards. The Hound Archon seemed to be about to confess on the White Rabbit; when the Summons duration ended....
In the Morning...
Theo will cast Lucky Number on everyone.
Theo will Pearl of Power 1st his Lucky Number.
Theo then Hexes his friends also.
(Healer's Handbook pg. 17): The witch can touch a creature to suppress or protect it from more debilitating negative conditions. Each time she uses this hex, the witch either chooses the blinded or deafened condition, or chooses a type of effect: curse, disease, or poison. If the target is or later becomes afflicted with the chosen condition or effect, that condition or effect is suppressed for a number of minutes equal to the witch’s level. Alternatively, for 24 hours the witch can grant her target a +4 circumstance bonus on saving throws against effects that cause any two of the above conditions or effects (witch’s choice; she can choose any combination of conditions or effects, as long as she chooses only two total). At 15th level, the witch can choose up to two total conditions or types of effects to suppress or three total conditions or types of effects to grant a circumstance bonus against each time she uses the major ameliorating hex. Once a creature has benefited from this hex, it cannot benefit from it again for 24 hours.
So, we need to research this Book; and do the rituals. Then, we go down to the depths to confront some strange and most certainly ugly Beastie. Then we follow Lowls into the realm of an Outer Old One. Anything off the list that I am missing?
"First, we need to repair the seals. That is what Kaklatath said.
So I think we need to go into the Undercity and fight some great evil there.
Then I think we do the rituals with the book - we can't let more flying polyps escape while we are delaying. Repairing the seals is I think a higher priority.
After that, we maybe deal with the thing in the lake as best as we can.
And then follow Lowls."
As you check back in the room where you fought the seeded you find the man you left is no longer there.
Hoshbagh happily takes the payment in treasure and books; she immediately devours the books despite having seemingly taken her fill of the flying polyp. In the morning you’re awoken to the sound of the smell and sound of her helping herself to your rations. She says in chipper fashion, ”Here’s your stuff!”
As you are forced to prattle on about politics that more often than not get in the way of establishing order, you begin to notice something wrong. Slowly at first the skin of the assembled entourage begins to part and blister. Then faster the guests face and hands begin to discolor. Sprouts of ropey white fungus push their hair out, replacing it, and webs of gossamer fibers sprout from their skin.
You wake in a cold sweat.
You wake in a cold sweat.
Ci Ci sits upright, awakening from her nightmare drenched in sweat.
"These dreams! That fungi, eating us from within..."
Ci Ci feels her resolve shaken by the horrific vision. She rises from her bedroll, takes a deep breath, and focuses on the one thing that sustains her: trust in the gods-given power of her blood.
She calls upon that power and feels its warm flow through her veins, chasing away the cold fear that seeks to sap the will from her mind.
"Hold Your Fire....Keep it burning bright..." she sings to herself.
Allegra wakes as well, leaning upright and breathing heavily, damp with sweat. She shakes her head to clear it and droplets fly about the tent. She gets up to walk around and finds Ci Ci singing. "This place needs to be purged and set right."
Ci Ci's power has no restorative effect.
Dervak puts on his shiny new ring and thanks the festering trash-monster.
"Thank you, Hoshbagh."
To Allegra, he responds, "Bury it under a volcano, maybe."
The warrior has no idea how to deal with an entire cursed city.
Something is wrong with Allegra and Cerise. Will we have to do the ritual for them like we did for me? Hopefully not. They have not been under this evil very long.
Ci Ci stops singing. "It's not working. I'm not sure what's wrong with me. Can you help?" she asks Allegra, a look of worried concern on her pale, sweaty face.
Ci Ci runs through everything she can think of, magically-speaking, that would explain the symptoms.
In the morning, Mara tried to understand Ci Ci's affliction.
Mara finds nothing initially but she becomes certain that she's missing something and reexamines each of her companions very carefully. After feeling her patients for tumors that she finally notices it. All throughout Allegra and Ci Ci's bodies run tiny fungal mycelium.
To be through she checks herself, Dervak, and Theo. They are also infected. But their infection seems to have been arrested for some reason.
After examining Ci Ci, Mara mediated and memorized spells.
1st lvl (6): Ant Haul, Liberating Command, Protection from Evil, Unbreakable Heart x2, open slot, Color Spray (spirit)
2nd lvl (6): Barkskin x3, Calm Emotions, Delay Poison, Resist Energy, Hypnotic Pattern (spirit)
3rd lvl (6): Heroism x4, Dispel Magic, open slot, Daylight (spirit)
4th lvl (5): Blessing of Fervor, Freedom of Movement, Slowing Mud, Spiritual Ally, open slot x2, Rainbow Pattern (spirit)
5th lvl (4): Baleful Polymorph, Breath of Life x2, Overland Flight (spirit)
6th lvl (3): Greater Dispel Magic, Wall of Stone, open slot, Chain Lightning (spirit)
7th lvl (2): Heal, open slot, Prismatic Spray (spirit).
"Shall we repair the seals first?"
Busy, busy day! Let us enjoy ourselves whilst not dying horribly.
The White Rabbit smiles in agreement!
The well descends in an 80ft vertical shaft with walls scarred by the recent destructive passage of the flying polyp that attacked you before. This cavern's stone ceiling dips and rises with undulating unpredictability as it worms through the undercity. The hewn walls likewise seem unfinished, and heaps of rubble and gravel lies scattered about the area.
What Lassie? Jimmy fell down the well...again!
Theophilus casts Heroism on himself; and Featherstep on Dervak before jumping in the well! He also cast Dancing Lights (hat shaped) sending them down ahead.
The White Rabbit is seen wearing a scuba outfit, as he grips his trouser leg, while plugging his nose with the other hand.
What could possibly go wrong?
Once at the bottom, he glances about the comforting cavern.
Mara cast several spells on Allegra, Dervak and herself before descending into the depths. When she reached the bottom, she looked around for danger.
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Dervak dislikes climbing, as he is vulnerable while doing so, but he also dislikes using his limited magical abilities more than he needs to.
So he just throws himself off an 80' drop knowing that he can take it.
"Allegra, if you want to save your spells, jump with me and I'll cast Feather Fall."
Once down, Dervak casts Shield (13 min) and See Invisibility (130 min).
Allegra will nod and jump with Dervak after casting extended magic vestment, endure elements, and extended defending bone on herself.
As you explore the undercity you find that its layout makes as much sense as above ground. The structures are a series of 20 foot wide passages, most of them don't lead anywhere in particular. They slope up and down in unpredictable patterns and in places they are split by perilous chasms that plunge deep into the Darklands. The whistling wind is ever present and you frequently feel it tug at you.
The tunnel broadens into a subterranean gallery carved from floor to ceiling with rudimentary depictions of beasts, volcanoes, comets, and bones. The three entrances all slope subtly downward into this area, causing stagnant, silty water to pool here.
Atop a black steed with smoke trailing where its hooves should be is a desiccated corpse clad in breastplate armor and wielding a gigantic axe. A miasma of fell energies surround it. It points as you and says, "The Rough Beast take you!"
It finishes casting a spell as you enter the area.
The foul undead creatures invocation of the Rough Beast only strengthened Mara's resolve to vanquish it. She concentrated, speeding up the flow of time for her allies, and then flew forward, gaining altitude. She told her friends, "The fiend's spell boosts the defenses of itself and its allies in a 10 ft radius."
A stagnant, silty water pool
Seeing the defensive spell being cast, Theophilus smiles.
So, my good man, what can we do to cause you to depart this world for the after life?
The White Rabbit seems to be pantomiming Dimension Door to the group in a question pose....
Dervak looks at the White Rabbit and nods.
"Send us in!"
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"Diasporatum!" Ci Ci cries, as she moves forward.
Allegra looks at the big nasty undead, looks at Theo, and nods.
A stagnant, silty water pool.
Round 1
Theo calmly walks to the middle of the group. He reaches out to them.
Please hold my hand.
He winks.
"Have at you!"
Dervak rages and attacks.
A stagnant, silty water pool.
Theo--and the White Rabbit--are each seen eating freshly popped popcorn; well seasoned and buttered, as they enjoy this new Marvel Movie!
Allegra will scan the remains for anything magical.
Ci Ci's green destructo beam narrowly misses the head of the mounted undead. This leaves it distracted long enough for Dervak and company to teleport directly behind it. The body clatters to the floor in a heap as the phantom steed disappears.
"...I wonder what it wanted. Anybody know about this kind of undead?"
Dervak cleans his falchion and catches his breath.
"If we can't navigate our way around here... we just keep walking until we find the seal we are supposed to fix?"
Mara replied, "It invoked the name of the Rough Beast: Rovagug by another name. That religion seeks only to destroy."
After confirming that no-one was hurt she said, "I don't know of any other way. We do need to repair the seal."
She identified the magic items carried by the undead, and described the properties.
Kaklatath speaks to your minds, It is difficult with such limited senses to navigate. I think this way.
Four massive columns of hewn stone tower up to the forty-foot-high ceiling of this hall. Twenty feet above the floor, a wide balcony overlooks the dusty basalt meeting room. Cut out from one corner is a cylindrical shaft that rises far beyond the boundaries of this chamber. You arrive from a passage on the balcony level and another winds its way on the ground.
The columns bear images of alien cityscapes so exactingly incised that the art almost seems to shimmer and dance when illuminated. The areas within reach are vandalized, where deep axe gouges mar various columns near the ground and balcony.
Mara recited a prayer to check for magic auras, and then moved forwards to examine the nearest column on the left.
Romeo, Romeo; where for art thou, Romeo!
Casting Dancing Lights and floating them about the room, Theophilus stands at the balcony, looking over the chamber.
I feel so beautiful standing on this balcony! Beautiful, but also sadness.
"I don't believe that the knight we encountered appreciated this art."
Allegra will scan for unexpected CHAOS.
The White Rabbit seems to be jumping in front of Allegra's gaze for some reason.
He is seen wearing a ballet outfit.....
Dervak glares at the rabbit and makes some furtive hand signals behind Allegra's back.
He sighs.
"Could these carvings be too insane even for a knight of Rovagug?"
Dervak moves into the room, remaining on the balcony.
Allegra waves off the rabbit with mild annoyance. "Perhaps these cataclysmic evils are possessive about who gets to destroy everything."
Dervak engages in some pleasant eschatological speculation.
"Lowls and the thing he serves don't seek to destroy everything... infect it and bring it into Carcosa, right? Maybe that is the source of the disagreement. Rovagug wants to destroy everything, even Carcosa."
Theophilus (busy directing his Dancing Lights) seems to be pondering (or reminiscing) the beautiful display of art....
The White Rabbit is suddenly seen changing (no peeking) into a Scholarly outfit.
He then reaches into a pouch, producing a large Dictionary; flipping quickly through the alphabet.
He stops at the E's, reads for a second and gives a thumbs up to Dervak!
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"Great, I can look forward to becoming an ambulatory patch of moss on another plane, instead of merely being devoured by the Rough Beast...that's so much better," Ci Ci mutters, in a tone dripping with sarcasm.
Allegra brings her greataxe into her open hand in a gesture of adamantine resolve. "It's all academic. I live in this everything and happen to be somewhat fond of it, so I'm not going to let either of them go through with their plans."
Mara detects magic near the ground floor exit, your way forward.
In the corner, on the other side of the balcony Mara finds a strange desiccated body, it has a conical body topped with four tentacles tipped with pincers, tubes, and spherical head. Dropping from the head are more, smaller tentacles. Clutched in one of the pincers is a ring.
Theophilus also notices the flooring. He casts Detect Magic.
I would not step there, there, or there.
He activates his Flight Hex. He floats over to inspect the dead wierdo on the furthest terrace.
Who's getting married?
Mara examined the ring, then told the others, "This ring it bound to a djinni! The wearer can call a specific djinni from the Elemental Plane of Air, who will serve for one hour a day."
She flew around the outside of the wall, checking carefully for traps.
Mara only finds the same trap that Theo mentioned. Electrified walls and floors in the only other exit to this chamber. She notes that flying will not defeat this particular trap.
I wish Kat was still with us.
"I can protect myself against electricity to a degree, and intentionally trigger the trap. That sounds kind of stupid but I could do it.
Or maybe the Djinni can help us somehow."
Theophilus--and the White Rabbit--seem to be discussing the trap situation.
So, who should we invite to this tea party?
You thinking it may be beyond him?
Why not you?
Theo grins.
Fine! That could work. Wait, what? Dumbass! Why I will have your ears! You...
The White Rabbit is seen looking smug.
Theo then stops screaming. He straightens his hat.
Apologies. I...errr...we can Summon a friend to disable, or set off the Trap.
Theophilus Summons.
Semore!
Appearing down on the lower floor is Semore! He begins doing the Icky shuffle while the electricity shoots all over!
Semore makes a rude gesture at Theo and White Rabbit. He then walks down the hall and gets electrocuted. His protective acid bubbles a little bit making the room smell like rancid butter drowned in vinegar. Semour exits the exit and walks back in, nothing happens.
His work done and no other obvious enemies or orders Semore begins to mutilate the nearby desiccated yithian. He starts by peeling off its skin.
The passeges here zigzag unpredictably, sometimes branching into side galleries or banks of rounded alcoves filled with broken glass, sickly vines, and other organic matter that stubbornly resists decomposition. Kaklatath's gaze lingers on the alcoves only conveying, "We need to check every one."
As you search you hear a horrid meeping. Rounding a corner are a trio of Leng ghouls, semi-canine humanoids with rancid green flesh and hoof-like feet. Accompanying these potent ghouls born of nightmare is another yithian, but one that is infested like many of the other people you've found here.
Kaklatath whispers in your mind, "That is my true body, the corruption of Xhamen-dor must have infected the mind of the this woman's body. It's no wonder I was unable to return. I am such a fool, please help me restore my body."
The Leng ghouls regard you curiously, "What brings mortals to these halls?"