After leaving the tower, resting and climbing back, you return to the same spot you left.
This wide, curved hall ends in a metal hatch to the northwest. A large slate board covered with neat lettering hangs on the east wall. A flight of stairs to the east leads up, while another flight to the south leads down. The door to the southern stairwell appears to have been burrowed or chewed through.
Muga walks to the door. And then gestures and bows slightly towards it in an almost butlerish fashion, "After you."
The return to Iadenveigh was rather uneventful, something Yvell both expected and was relieved to experience. Setting up camp and assuring resources were in order was a welcome comfort, a mundane activity that calmed his nerves. It had been a trying time.
He rested, sparing words with his plant companion, Phylla. He went over many battle plans, many facts they knew of the enemy and the eventual need to rid the land of Furkas. Before he decided to sleep he studied much more. To quell his inner anger, he decided to do something Valtyra would likely have suggested. A journal of sorts, something to occupy his mind.
With little time they were back and his experience had become such that he felt stronger. He could recall those times in training that other such applicants used differing magic, tricks to manipulate such.
Hopefully it would assist in the coming exploration.
Yvell smirked as Muga gave him the way forward, as per usual. He opened the room and inspected it as usual.
The door is locked.
As you head towards the door you can see smoke oozing from underneath it.
"Come in, come in. I have been waiting for you intruders." Furkas Xoud's ghoulish voice comes from inside.
"Well, the door's locked." Muga responds to Furkas. "I'm slightly less good than you at floating through solid matter."
Yvell looks at the door then back to Gram, " Grammanar, please get this door open. Everyone else, it seems we will have to get ready for battle. "
Yvell revved his Chainsaw Blade.
"Ah... right." Grammanar gets out his tools, and begins to shove tiny knives into the lock.
As Grammanar touches the lock and unlocks it, the door glows and electricity arcs out to electrocute him.
touch
This large chamber appears to be a combination of bedroom and study. A large window to the northwest, fitted with sturdy metal slats, lets in light and air, while elaborate tapestries depicting gloomy landscapes and gothic architecture adorn the walls. A large bed sits in the room, its fine coverings frayed and dusty.
A small desk against the southwest wall is bare, while doors provide several exits-although no handle adorns the door to the northwest. Instead of a handle or knob, it bears a small plate of coppery metal.
Noting the electricity zapping Grammanar, Muga comments, "I am suddenly slightly less enthusiastic about entering."
Yvell notes the trap that seemed to go off upon Grammanar and rushed in giving advise to Valtyra, " Valtyra, tend to his wounds! We know Furkas is inside and I will not be intimidated by some little static shock. " He raised his voice to a roar as the blessing of Ragathiel spread to himself and others wings ablaze, his blade rumbled, humming. Ready.
Perdix will haste the party.
As you enter the room, smoke coalesces to form the smoke wizard. He smiles smugly.
"You're still here? I guess you adventurers don't know when to quit."
He begins to intone a magical spell.
1. Perdix, Grammanar
2. Enemy
3. Everyone
Yvell retorts, " Last I checked you were the one who retreated last we fought. Has your incorporeality ruined your memory as well? "
Perdix will cast a spell which hurls a snowball at his enemy.
doubt it hits
Grammanar says nothing as his gun-rage kicks in, and dumps some magical bullets into the ghost wizard.
And Grammanar's gun explodes! 5-foot burst, I believe 2 damage, Reflex DC 12 for half.
[dice=Reflex]1d20+7[d/ice]
Perdix hastes the party, increasing their speed and movements.
Grammanar's magical bullets pierce through the ghost wizard, harming him somewhat. Furkas sneers as ectoplasm spills onto the ground.
Furkas Xoud hovers backward and hurls a fireball at the door. It explodes past Grammanar in a blast of fiery smoke.
fire damage
"I did not retreat, fool elf. I am this Tower. I am Everywhere!"
16 damage
HP 34/50
So now he will throw his snowball.
Grammanar collapses to the ground, covered in burns.
Yvell braced himself against the ground as the explosion of fire attempted to devastate their ranks.
Seeing Grammanar drop behind him from the blast, Yvell calls out to Valtyra, " Grammanar has been severely wounded! Valtyra, please tend to him and advance! "
Muga's forward strike prompted a few of his own as Yvell continued his song, the whirr of his blade rending through Furkas' being. The holy accompaniment of his Lord Ragathiel empowering said blows with pinpoint Ferocity. " I will show you the error of your words FURKA'S! "
Afterwards his wounds begin to mend.
The snowball flies past Furkas' head, knocked aside by smoky tendrils. Another tendril knocks aside Muga's sword swing.
Yvell's sword breaks through the smoke that protects Furkas, slicing wounds into the ghost wizard's incorporeal form.
Phylla moves up close to Grammanar, lifts his head gently with her tendrils and strokes him, as simple healing magic flows into his body.
"You cannot die yet, Grammanar-servant. You must live a very long life to serve me." Phylla sends.
Valtyra sends a wave of healing light across the rooms. As the light explodes from her, she moves next to the fallen Grammanar and heals him with stronger magic.
Furkas Xoud hisses, before he tries to phase through the ceiling away from the party.
Yvell roars as his weapon cleaves upwards into the mass of cloud and smoke that is Furkas. " You run again like a coward. Do so, it will only serve to advance our needs. "
Afterwards, Yvell lowers his rage to inspect Grammanar. " Are you well my friend? "
Grammanar shudders. "That was... far too much fire. And it'll be days before I can fix my pistol; I'll need to rely on the other guns until then. More healing wouldn't hurt, but I think I'm alright for now."
" Exemplary support Phylla and Valtyra "
Yvell nods placing a hand on Grammanar's shoulder. " Then we will try and make due with what we have. I hope this does not inconvenience you too much? There is likely a chance we explore the rest of this facility and find what we need. Furkas cannot run forever. Now then, let us see what the ghost was trying to defend? "
Yvell looks around the room for anything important.
"Pretty sure he could run forever if he didn't want to ambush us and just wanted to hide. Something tells me he's a bit too proud for that."
" If that were the case I would systematically Consecrate this entire building until I figured out how to free the apparition from this place. Your assessment is correct however, I believe his pride is such that he would not hide. Self preservation is something he DOES exhibit however. "
Yvell holds his blade tightly walking around.
Furkas Xoud passes through the ceiling as Yvell and Muga cut through his incorporeal body.
---
Yvell looks through the room and finds: fine tapestries and bedclothes here are worth 600 gp and weigh 50 pounds in all.
" Unless Furkas is extremely protective of his bedsheets I would assume this is not what he was protecting. There is more to explore. " The holy warrior moves to the northern door, opening it and looking inside.
"Well, I suppose if a man's home is his castle, then his bed is his... Uh, bailey? Keep? Castley term?"
" Well the Throne Room would be a latrine, so a proper term would be Keep, yes. "
"Well, what's he protecting?" Grammanar asks. "I've never seen a ghost before—is Furkas just the result of some glitchy skytech, or is he a miserable old man with nothing better to do than kill intruders? Either way, we don't need to deal with him; we're just here to grab the stuff, leave, and seal this tower up for good."
(Northeast)
This room contains a large desk and bookshelves. Metal hatches lead to the east and west. A thick glass window is set into the hatch to the east. Several strange black hoses lead from the door to a large machine against the northeast wall.
(Northwest)
Yvell sees a flight of stairs that goes down several flights.
Yvell looks around categorizing what he inspected. There seemed to be no trps but the was another door. After checking the Desk drawer he would move the the end on the room and open the next door.
"So, anyone remember how tall the tower was? How many more places we gotta check?"
As Yvell reaches the open door, he can hear the sounds of labored gasping. When he gets close enough to look into the next room, a gasping wail booms out of the doorway and a cloud of ghostly forms made of smoke surges out of the chamber and surrounds him.
Yvell can feel the air being sucked from his lungs, as though he is suffocating.
In the room, Yvell sees a strange machine that seems to be expelling smoke. There also appears to be a bony corpse collapsed next to the smoke-eschewing machine.
As the forms invaded his area, Yvell gasped. He tried to hold in his last vestiges of air from what he assumed was a terrible undead.
He coughs up as the effect ends and turns, " What foul abomination is this!? "
" Valtyra! Everyone! There is something foul in here. "